


spread my wings

by sanetoshiapologist



Category: Fruits Basket
Genre: F/M, Friendship/Love, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, POV First Person, Teen Angst, Tragedy: Death of a Brother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-21
Updated: 2014-07-15
Packaged: 2017-12-15 17:11:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 63,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/851972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanetoshiapologist/pseuds/sanetoshiapologist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a catastrophic car accident tore the simple complacency of her childhood apart, Sukochi Fujikawa, now age sixteen, is anything but elated when her stepfather's new job demands that she switch schools for the fourth year in the row. But what happens when the Sohmas, a trio of (for the most part) overly-friendly cousins, enter the picture?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story currently in progress that's being co-written by me and my best friend NatsuAki, who doesn't have an account on this site. I do the writing, while she edits it and helps me brainstorm ideas. Just wanted to clarify that! ^^
> 
> Disclaimer: NatsuAki and I, by no means, own Fruits Basket.

_"Nee-chan! Nee-chan!" the boy called out, running up to his sister. The girl laughed and gathered him up in her arms, spinning around and around until they collapsed on the hard wood floor of their living room, laughing breathlessly._

_"We'll always be together, won't we, nee-chan?" he whispered, resting his head on her chest._

_"Always," she promised, squeezing his hand._

_Suddenly, the warm glow of their sunlit house disappeared, clouded by a swirl of purple  His eyes began to glow a fiery red. "But you broke your promise, didn't you, nee-chan? I'm gone, and I always will be gone."_  

I jolted awake from the nightmare in a cold sweat, heart pounding, pulse racing. Glowering at my blaring alarm clock, I let out a groan, slamming a hand down to silence the damn thing.

Cocooning myself back into the covers, I squeezed my eyes shut, enjoying my last moments of peace and quiet, basking in the warm sunlight that pooled through my window. Another stupid summer come and gone, it seemed. And with that, another stupid school filled with yet more blockheads. Why couldn't my stepfather's job just stay in one place? It would make thing a hell of a lot easier for me.

"Hey, Sukochi! You have to wake up now," my thirteen year-old stepsister Kiyomi whined, flinging the door open. Her chestnut hair was damp, the scent of her sickly sweet watermelon shampoo filling the room. So much for privacy.

I scowled at her, running my fingers through my tangled bedhead. "Oh, fuck off."

"God, nee-chan, why do you always have to be so mean to me?"

Those two little words were always a kick to the gut.

_Grow the fuck up, Sukochi._

"Don't call me that!" I snarled.

Because the only one that had been allowed to call me that was Daichi.

And now...no one could have that privilege ever again.

"Mom and Dad want you down for breakfast," Kiyomi said meekly. "Sorry for bothering you." Shuffling away, she closed the door behind her; I could hear her thundering footsteps all the way down the stairs.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," I grumbled, smacking a hand to my forehead.

I hated this. I hated this so much. Hated how everyone treated me like a bomb about to go off.

Why did I always have to feel so stupid? Like I was the one who did everything wrong?

Because when Daichi died, so did a part of me. I holed myself up in my room and banged on the shower walls and prayed to some God that would never listen. Soon enough, our family business went bankrupt, and I got to watch as my life shattered into a million pieces, my parents' marriage along with it.

They fought and fought, and somehow, Daichi's death always got dragged in. As if that was anyone's fault. As if we could have stopped that drunk driver from ramming into him and dad on that icy road.

I broke my promise to Daichi. I couldn't protect him. He was nothing but good and I was nothing but bad, but then he went ahead and died and I didn't. Why did I get to live, anyways? Why me, and not my perfect brother?

He would have gone on living. He would have made sure everything was okay. He would move on if I was gone.

I really was pathetic.

Everything in my life was just stupid. Candy-coated. Fake.

And today, I was going to yet another high school. The birthplace of all things stupid and fake.

Doesn't that sound absolutely thrilling, reader? Can you just imagine my excitement?

 

Stupid, stupid high school. Kaibara High School, to be specific.

I shoved my way past the tide of students, scowling at an undersized boy that had accidentally stumbled over my feet. Shouldering my way through the hallway, my eyes flickered helplessly between the room numbers hung up beside classroom doors and my schedule.

Fuck, I hated being the new kid. Good thing I'd had plenty of practice.

"Hey, you need help?"

A boy, of course, tall and lanky with dark hair and dark eyes and a dangerous smirk; this guy was trouble, and he fucking knew it. Cocky, too, from the way he was leaning against his locker like he owned the place, arms folded over his chest, shirt untucked, bangs flicked into his eyes.

God, I hated him already.

"Mind your own business," I snapped, absolutely loathing the sleazy grin on his face.

"Come on, don't be like that!" he laughed, beckoning me over. "Everything about you screams 'newbie.' Do you want to wander around this place like an idiot all day?"

I rolled my eyes and reluctantly shuffled over to him, scowling at the annoyingly triumphant smirk on his face. Handing him my schedule, I watched as he narrowed his eyes at the tiny print, pointing at a room just down the hall. "2-A. Oh, and what a coincidence," he exclaimed, cracking a goofy smile, "you're in the same class as me!"

Same class as this douchenugget? Oh, joy.

"So, tell me your name." He gave me a playful shove forward in the direction of our classroom, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Sukochi Fujikawa," I said gruffly. "Not that it matters, anyways."

"I've known you for all of two minutes and you're _still_  being rude." He waggled his eyebrows at me, laughing at the strangled expression on my face, and held out his hand. "The name's Shigure Sohma. You'll meet my adorable cousins in just a minute."

Cousins? There were more of these guys?

Shigure flung open the door to the nearest classroom. "Ayame! It's been such a long time!"

I sighed, following him as he rushed inside, embracing a boy with the same cocky aura, shockingly silver hair that fell to his wast and watery green-gold eyes and- wait, was that  _eyeliner_?

"Oh, my dear Shigure!" eyeliner boy trilled, releasing Shigure with tears in his eyes. "Life has denied me all pleasures in not seeing you for the past two days!"

"I can't explain my despair, Aya!" Shigure blubbered between sniffles. "Anyways, look- I met this new girl in the hallway! She's rude and doesn't have a sense of humor, but don't let that get to you! I'm sure that she'll all sweet and girlish on the inside."

"Excuse me?" I seethed, painfully aware of the strange looks we were getting from the elderly woman at the front of the room and my bewildered classmates. Well, I honestly couldn't blame them. "Care to repeat that?"

Shigure tactfully chose to ignore me. "And she'll definitely get along with Ha'ri, I'm positive!"

"Ooh, and that bored, dull expression, too!" Ayame nodded approvingly, clapping him on the back. "You're a genius, 'Gure!"

"Forgive my friends." Another boy seemingly materialized before me, aggravatingly tall with floppy dark hair and olive green eyes and a slender nose and nail beds that were way too groomed to be real. Handsome, too; these guys were winners in the gene lottery and they totally knew it.

He smacked both of them on the head. "Sit down, you two. You're embarrassing us."

The elderly women coughed delicately into her fist, whacking a ruler menacingly against her calloused palm. She was beefy and intimidating, with beady brown eyes and an unruly white hurricane brewing around her head. "You're better off listening to your friend, you three. Rule number one of my classroom: we don't tolerate nonsense around here."

I braced my hands in surrender, sauntering over to an empty desk near the back of the room.

"Good morning, class." The teacher forced a toothy smile, standing up and tapping the blackboard with a chunk of chalk. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hotaru Minami, and this is my twenty-fourth year of service to this wonderful school. Unfortunately, however, it will also be my last- I will be retiring at the conclusion of this school term."

"Thank  _God_ ," I heard Shigure whisper, earning a giggle from the two girls sitting to my far left.

I cringed. Christ, did the term "inside voice" mean anything to this moron?

Minami-sensei zeroed in on him immediately, pausing her introductory monologue to bare her teeth in a sickly sweet smile. "What was that, young man? Care to share something with the class?"

"I-" Shigure stammered, before "Ha'ri" shot him a silencing look, standing up and acknowledging Minami-sensei with a polite nod.

"What my friend means to say is that it is wonderful that you are deciding to retire from your profession after years of service, and that he is thanking God for allowing you to enjoy a peaceful life after such diligent service," he finished in a mild, respectful tone, sitting down and ignoring all of the dumbfounded stares. I raised an eyebrow at him.  _This_  was that idiot Sohma's cousin?

The teacher engaged into an intense staredown with him while the class stayed frozen in place, before heaving a sigh, shooting Shigure a pointed look. "You're lucky that you have your friend over here to back you up, Shigure Sohma. I can assure you that you won't be so lucky next time.

"I will say this, and I will say this only once. I have zero tolerance of fooling around. My simple rules will be obeyed. No talking out of turn. Be respectful to me, yourself, and your peers. Turn in your homework on time. Come to class prepared. Enjoy yourselves as best as you can. I am here to thoroughly guide you through our fascinating second-year curriculum- what I guarantee to be a highly enjoyable and a wonderful learning experience," Minami-sensei said curtly. "And so, I'd like you all to each stand up and introduce yourselves. Your full name, age, and three things that you find interesting about yourselves."

I stifled a groan. High school teachers and their fucking  _ice breakers._

The boy in the front row leapt to his feet, primly clearing his throat. "Hideki Akiyama. Age sixteen. I like to play basketball, go running with my friends, and my favorite subject is math."

"Quite the intellect, aren't you, Akiyama? Next." Minami-sensei flicked her ruler in the direction of a  mousy-haired girl, who swallowed back a gulp and reluctantly rose to her feet.

"J-Jenny Grayson. S-seventeen in a...month. I used to live in America, but I'm just here for a foreign exchange program," she stuttered. "Um, well, my uncle's an actor in California and I like British literature."

"Be more sure of yourself, girl," the elderly woman said bluntly. "Keep going, class."

Introductions were always such a pain in the ass. I slouched in my chair, tuning out on the conversation and doodling mustaches on a clean sheet in one of my composition notebooks.

"Shigure Sohma. I'm seventeen as of two months ago!" he declared. "My favorite things to do in my spare time are writing amateur romantic comedies and reading shoujo manga! What I really want to do in the future is become a best-selling author!"

"Hatori Sohma. I'm sixteen. Shigure and Ayame-kun are my cousins. My father was a doctor and it is my ambition to follow in his footsteps, and my favorite subjects are math and science. It's nice to see you all again." He sat back down, seemingly oblivious to the approving up-and-downs all of the girls were giving him.

The third Sohma leapt out of his seat and flipped his long hair over his shoulder. "Ayame Sohma! I simply adore reading fashion magazines, sketching traditional Japanese kimonos, and spending time with my darling 'Gure and Ha'ri." He blew a kiss at his cousins.

There was an awkward moment of silence, until Minami-sensei cleared her throat and pointed her ruler at me. "And you?"

"Oh, me? Um...," I was at a loss of words for a moment, shooting a glare at the gaggle of giggling girls sitting just to my right.  "Sukochi Fujikawa. Age sixteen. Well...I like dangos, sukiyaki-"

"I was expecting you to go deeper than your food preferences," Minami-sensei said curtly, raising penciled eyebrow in my direction, and I fought back a scowl. "So, tell us, Fujikawa- what is your  _essence_?"

"My greatest wish of all is for there to be eternal peace in this world," I quickly said, desperately wanting to sit back down, away from the patronizing gazes of my classmates, but the old hag gestured for me to remain standing.

"I'd like you be more specific, Fujikawa. Eternal peace? What do you mean by that, dear?"

I suppressed the urge to scream with a little cough, smiling through gritted teeth. "Well, you know...no more bullying, animal cruelty, war, violence, crime, etc. The usual. I'm not trying to say anything bigger than that."

"Well, that's a lovely wish, Fujikawa," Minami-sensei said briskly, sounding as if she didn't think it was lovely at all. "Next, please."

 

Home ec- just why was this a class, again? I sighed, plopping down on one of the wobbly counter stools and throwing my bag to the ground. This year already wasn't promising, and it was only third period.

"Fujikawa, right? Mind if I sit here?" a calm voice asked, jolting me out of my reverie. Of course none other than the great Hatori Sohma himself had deigned to grace me with his awe-inspiring presence. But then again, maybe I was being too hard on him. He wasn't an awful person, right?

I shrugged, scooting over to make room for him. 

"So, world peace, huh?" he said mildly. " That's very ambitious of you."

A flare of annoyance kicked in my gut. "What about you being a doctor? That's pretty ambitious, too," I countered.

"That's different, though," he said mildly, wiping his fingers on a moist towel. "It's what's expected of me."

I didn't even want to think about what that meant. Flicking my hairs out of my eyes, I slouched even further in my chair. "Whatever. You know I only said it to get her to shut up."

He cocked his head to the side. "So you  _don't_  want eternal peace for the world?"

"No, it's not like that...it's just impossible. The world's full of shit, anyways. It's not like anything I do is gonna change anything," I spat, accepting a bowl of hot rice from my neighbor and passing it to him. "Why are you asking me this, anyways?"

"No reason. You just seem like an interesting person." He gave a minimal shrug of his shoulders, grabbing a handful of rice and patting it into a ball.

I reached for a dried plum and plopped it into my mouth, savoring the tangy sweetness.

I knew what I wanted more than world peace.

But that didn't mean he had to know.


	2. Convictions

ukochi's POV

Dozens of hormonal teenagers sweating their asses off in front of teachers. A class that was actually  _graded._

In other words: physical education.

Inside of the hellish locker-room, I glowered at the dangerously low-cut white t-shirt and the short-shorts that looked more like underwear than anything really substantial. Didn't I order the size that was way too big for me?

"Anything wrong, sweetheart?" a curvy brunette asked me as she applied a fresh layer of lip gloss, practically oozing contempt.

"Nothing at all. Sorry." I flashed a quick smile, clutching my pile of clothes and running behind a tower of gym lockers where I could actually change in privacy. No way in hell was I stripping in front of these people.

I heaved a sigh and reluctantly began to dress, pinning two bobby pins to the back of the shirt so I was at least decently covered up. Inhaling deeply, I squeezed my eyes shut as I prepared to step out of my comfortable alcove, and into the wilderness of sugar perfume and wandering eyes and-

"Your figure isn't particularly bad, but it could definitely use some growth in the future!"

I nearly dropped my clothes in shock, gaping at Shigure. "Holy shit! How did you-?"

"This is just my job. I'm merely doing research for my future novels," he laughed, bracing his hands in surrender.

"What, do you write porn or something?" I retorted, vigorously repressing the heat threatening to rise in my cheeks. " _Get the fuck out!_ "

The chatter from the opposite side of the unoccupied wall of lockers fell to a hush. A girl peered around the corner, shrieking when she glimpsed the intruder sitting nonchalantly on the bench. The others soon followed.

_Shit._

"OH MY GOD, WHY ARE IN HERE?"

"GET OUT OF HERE, YOU PERV!"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

I sighed, slipping through the crowd of girls that were currently preoccupied screaming at the top of their lungs at Shigure, who swallowed bacj a gulp, looking distinctly nervous. As the girls began to swarm him, slapping him with socks and sneakers and deodorant sticks, he shot me a pleading look.

And for a moment, I almost felt sorry for the poor bastard.

Almost.

Suddenly, the shrill noise of a whistle sounded through the locker room. "What's going on in here?"

"This _pevert_ snuck in here!" one of the girls shouted.

"The door was locked. How did you get in?" The coach narrowed her eyes at Shigure, who fidgeted and laughed sheepishly.

"Fujikawa let him in!" a bespectacled girl piped up, pointing an accusing finger in my direction. "She was talking to him before we found out that he was in here."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I hissed. "I didn't have anything to do with this!"

"Detentions for both of you, Fujikawa, Sohma. Classroom 306 immediately after school," she said briskly, scribbling on her clipboard and shoving pink scraps of paper at me and Shigure. I stared in disbelief at the detention slip as she marched out of the locker room, slamming the door behind her.

Detention on my first day of school? By golly, that had to be a fucking  _record_.

"Aw, don't be mad, Fujikawa!" Shigure laughed heartily, slapping me on the back. "It'll be fun with just the two of us, no?"

Without warning, I whirled around and socked him in the stomach.

I hated everyone in this whole fucking high school.

 

Lunchtime. More like the most miserable period of the day.

Sighing, I sat down and leaned against the thick trunk of a maple tree, pulling out my bento box. Okay, I admitted it. I felt sort of lonely.

But what could I do about it? I was unpleasant, and I knew it. What psycho would want a screw-up like me as their friend, anyways? If I actually thought I had a chance of making a single friend at this school, I'd just disappoint myself even more.

I'd learned that the hard way.

"Aw, what's with the long face?" Ayame chirped. "Lighten up, sweetheart!"

I scowled up at him. "What the hell do  _you_  want?"

Hands placed firmly on his hips, he jutted his chin in the direction of the abandoned tennis courts. "Shigure asked me to come get you. It's lunchtime, right? You should eat with us!"

"I'm honored," I said sarcastically. Even if I wanted to make friends here, it sure as hell wouldn't be these guys. "Out of my sight, douchepants."

"You can't honestly believe that a gentleman such as myself would leave a lady alone during lunch, do you?" he gasped, scandalized.

"Well, one of your 'gentlemanly' cousins got me a goddamn detention," I snapped, folding my arms over my chest. "So kindly get out of my sight before I get Minami-sensei to put a restraining order on you."

"My dear, I'm afraid that I simply cannot accept your refusal!" Ayame exclaimed, grabbing the attention of practically everyone eating lunch outside. Without waiting for a response, he grabbed onto my arm and yanked me upwards. Fuck, for a useless pretty boy, he was  _strong._

"Let go of me!" I hissed, flailing my arms and legs as he dragged me across the ground. Like hell I'd let him shove me around. 

As a last-ditch effort, he slung me over his shoulders, unrelenting despite a well-placed knee to his balls. Pretty soon, I went limp in his arms, resigning myself to my fate. Whatever, it wasn't like I was  _so_  upset- hanging out with them couldn't be too bad, right?

I was finally set down on their park bench, right besides Hatori. "Hello, Fujikawa-san."

"Sohma." I nodded curtly, brushing a stray grain of rice off of my skirt.

"Hey, Fujikawa-chan!" Shigure leaned over Hatori to poke me on the shoulder. "It's too confusing if you just call us all 'Sohma.' I can never tell who you're talking to!"

"I don't mind if she calls us by our first names!" Ayame piped up, taking an enthusiastic bite out of his sashimi.

"But  _I_  do," I grumbled, and began pointing at Hatori, Shigure, and Ayame in turn. "Sohma #1, Sohma #2, and Sohma #3. That's as affectionate as I'll get."

"So, step two!" Shigure cheered, biting into his dumplings. "Now you have to tell us even more about yourself! Guilty pleasures? Food preferences? Got any siblings? Where do you live?"

My throat constricted at the word "siblings." Oh, hell no.

Chewing thoughtfully on a piece of grilled chicken, I delicately sidestepped that particular question. "Well, let's see/ I like science fantasy and drama mangas...um, salmon in my sushi, tofu in miso soup. Oh, and where I live...just a neighborhood close by, I guess."

"You seem to be an interesting person," Hatori remarked, raising an eyebrow at me.  _You aren't fooling anyone_ , his eyes seemed to say. Fuck, this guy was way too perceptive.

"So...what about you guys?" I asked, eager to steer the conversation away from me.

"Us? Grand nobles from the royal house of Sohma, a family of the purest of beings, with ancestry dating back to the Edo period!" Ayame declared, puffing out his chest, a hand pressed to his heart. His lunch lay forgotten on the bench.

"The three of us live with our family in an estate nearby," Hatori added. "Just a twenty-minute walk from here."

"We should show you our place sometime!" Shigure waggled his eyebrows.

"Shigure, don't say such ridiculous things. You _did_  get her a detention, after all- I can hardly blame her for not trusting you," Hatori chided, shooting him a pointed look. 

"Definitely." Actually, I couldn't trust any of them, really. Hatori gave me a bad feeling, and the other two were just...incorrigible. "How long's detention anyways?"

"Ranging anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour, based on the severity of the offense. Check the slip. It'll probably say." Ayame nudged Shigure with his elbow, prompting him to sift through the messy contents of his bag for the detention slip.

I pulled the slightly-crumbled piece of paper out of my pocket, squinting to read the handwriting. "Forty-five minutes? Ugh, kill me now."

"Which is why you won't be sneaking into the girl's locker rom any time soon," Hatori said sharply, batting Shgiure on the forearm and heaving a sigh. He turned to me. "We'll walk you home if you want, Fujikawa-san. I'm sorry about your detention."

I hesitated for a moment, wondering if this was good idea. Maybe if my parents thought I'd made frineds for once, they wouldn't ask questions about why I was so late, and presto, the detention might as well have never happened. "Okay, fine. Just keep Sohma #2 away, Sohma #3."

If I didn't know better, I would have thought that a smile was teasing the corners of his lips.

 

"At last, sweet, sweet freedom!" Shigure declared as he rushed outside into the sunset, collapsing onto the sidewalk and kissing the ground.

"It was your fault that we were in there in the first place," I deadpanned, watching as he keeled over, letting out a choked-off sob.

"She has a point," Hatori agreed, before gesturing to the street in front of the high school. "So, to your house? We don't want you to get home too late."

"Yeah, after all, there are perverts out there!" Shigure made a face as he stood up, before creepily waving his fingers in my face.

Ayame nodded ominously, adding, "Perverts that prey on vulnerable, beautiful young ladies like yourself in the dead of the night."

"Perverts?" I scoffed, jutting a thumb at Shigure. "Don't we have one right here?"

Shigure made a strangled noise. "You wound me so, Fujikawa-chan."

"Well, can't deny that," Ayame piped up, grinning sheepishly as he kneeled down and patted his friend on the back. "Our favorite pervert, right here."

"That's not a particularly flattering term of endearment," Hatori said icily.

"Why don't we stop by a cafe?" Shigure suggested cheerfully, upon recovering. "There's a lovely one a couple of blocks from here, the Mochi! We stop by there all the time!"

"It's Shigure's treat, of course," Hatori interrupted his cousin, eyes flickering to me. "Unless Fujikawa-san wants to go home."

Stopping by a cafe with a trio of frankly creepy people that I'd just met and was only pretending to be friendly with was just taking it a bit too far. I wracked my brain for an appropriate response, fidgeting. "Actually, yes. I should probably go home. My parents told me that they didn't want me to come home too late...for a nice family dinner, so I guess I-  _we_  should probably get going. Thanks, though. I'll exploit you another time."

"Strict parents, huh?" Shigure nodded sympathetically, seeming to buy my "eating-dinner-with-family" excuse. "Yeah. I know the feeling. Alright, to your house we go!"

He imitated the sound of an airplane as he rushed forward, Ayame chasing him.

The four of us started walking down the street, passing shops, restaurants, and houses. It was rush hour, so the streets were filled with taxis and cars hurrying home from work. The sun was just dipping under the horizon, staining the clouds a pretty pinkish-orange.

I head a whimper at my feet, and as I looked down as a a stray dog with a coat of tan fur pawed at my shoes. Shigure's eyes widened, and he knelt down on the pavement to tickle the canine's velvet ears. The dog whined in pleasure, before laying on its back and allowing him to stroke its pink stomach.

"Looks like  _someone_  finally likes you, Shigure," I remarked, crouching down to watch him play with the dog.

"Hey, everyone loves me!" he protested, sticking his tongue out at him.

"Shigure has an...affinity for dogs. I'm convinced that it's his only chance in life," Hatori quipped, leaning against a nearby brick wall.

"Hey, stop saying that like it's a bad thing!" Shigure retorted. "I could be a vet, or a worker in an animal shelter,:

"Or in a circus!" Ayame added, stroking the dog behind its ears. "Those costumes are absolutely divine, by the way. I absolutely  _envy_  you."

"Don't worry, Aya," Shigure laughed in mock surrender. "I won't steal your circus position from you. After all, I have other ambitions."

"Like porn-writing?" I barely stifled my snicker.

"It's not  _porn_!" he insisted, cradling the stray in his arms. "They're deep, heart-wrenching, moving romance novels following dramatic teen relationships, mid-life complications, and-"

" _Say_  we get going." Hatori checked his watch, straightening up. "It's getting late. How far are we from your house?

"A couple of minutes and we should probably be there." I leapt to my feet, stretching my arms over my head. "I guess we have to say good-bye to your little friend now, Sohma #2."

The dog was panting heavily, its tail wagging at an abnormal speed. Shigure merely sighed, reluctantly placing it back on the ground. "Sorry, buddy. I have to go now."

It whimpered as if it understood him, giving Shigure a whiskery kiss before trudging away, tail between its legs.

"You have a really weird connection with dogs," I observed, watching as it disappeared into an alleyway. "But that's pretty cool."

"It's not terribly surprising," Shigure laughed, slinging an arm around Ayame's shoulders. "I'm just too lovable, aren't I, Aya?"

"Of course you are, Shigure-kun! It's impossible for anyone but I to be as fabulous as you!" he assured him, affectionately smothering him with kisses.

"Well, this is it," I said pointedly, interrupting their playful banter as the trio and I stood in front of my front lawn. "Thanks for taking me home to save me from, um, the perverts?"

"Beware of the pervert squadron!" Shigure let out a high-pitched laugh, imitating a typical villainous mastermind. "Lock your doors at night, my pretty."

"Thanks a lot for that," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes as I opened the gate and started down the path that led to my front porch. "See you tomorrow, guys."

Just before entering my house, I glanced back, watching their retreating backs until they shrunk to the size of ants and disappeared. Shaking my head, I assured myself that I really didn't like them. After all, I was only using them to not get in trouble with my family. I wasn't _actually l_ ooking forward to seeing them again.

I didn't actually care about them, or Shigure's future profession, or how unearthly talented he was with getting dogs to love him, or their ancient family that Ayame claimed dated back to the Edo period, or how Hatori seemed mysterious and oddly perceptive, or any other goddamn thing about them.

Right?

I slipped inside the house, glancing back at the boys for a moment. Clucking my tongue, I threw my bag to the ground and tossed my shoes off. "Sorry," I muttered, casting my eyes down as I made my way to my vacant seat in the dining room.

My mother tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, pushing a plate of food in my direction. "Ah, there you are, Sukochi. You kept us waiting for quite some time, you know."

I ignored her, picking up my chopsticks. "Itadakimasu."

My stepfather pursed his lips- a telltale sign that he wanted desperately to argue- but kept his mouth shut. His spawn Kiyomi, however, being the stupid brat that she was, failed to pick up on the 'shut-up-or-I'll-rip-your-throat-out-' signals I was clearly sending them. "How was your day, nee-chan?" she chirped, biting daintily at her egg roll.

"Call me that again, and I'll break your jaw, I snapped for what seemed like the umpteenth time. My mother sent me a warning look, so I settled for rolling my eyes. "It was  _fine_ , Kiyomi. How was yours?"

"Oh, the middle school is great!" she trilled, spooning more rice into her bowl. I felt a twinge of an annoyance- if she wanted to show off to our parents, couldn't she at least try to be a little more subtle about it? "There are some really great teachers and my classmates seem like good people, so I think I'll do fine. Anything to report on your end?"

Inner translation: have you stopped acting like a total bitch and made friends already?

"I have a strict teacher," I said slowly, fighting down the extremely tempting prospect of wringing her pretty little neck. "I met a couple of nice people today, too. They walked me home after school, so...yeah. Hence me being late."

My half-brother Haku made a cooing noise and burped. My mother ruffled his hair, feeding him a mouthful of pickled vegetables. "Oh, really? Who are these people?"

"Just a couple of guys," I replied nonchalantly, irritated at the surprise in her voice. It was like she'd given up all hope on me amounting at anything Kaibara even before I'd even started, and yeah, I guess I'd had, too, but did she have to make it so goddamn  _obvious_?

My stepfather stopped chewing, narrowing his eyes at me. " _Boys?_ "

Oh, fuck, him too? "Got a problem with that,  _Daddy?_ "

"Sukochi!" my mother admonished, giving me an urgent look.

My stepfather was about to open his mouth, but I cut him off, "Actually, I shouldn't even ask. Because I don't give a  _damn_  whether you care or not. You wanted me to make friends, right? Well, I did that, and  _still_  you're disappointed? Some parents  _you_  are."

"That's enough, Sukochi," he said sternly. "You have to stop exploding at us. We're trying, Sukochi, but you won't-"

"Are you going to drag me to a mental institution now?" I shot back, smacking my fork down on my plate. "So you can't handle me anymore? Well, good for you, because I'm sick of you too!"

"Enough of that, Sukochi," my mother said sharply. "You know that's not what we meant. You know we love you, and-"

What a fucking joke. Love me, my ass.

"Stop lying to yourself, Mom," I said bitterly. "The day Daichi died was the day you stopped caring about me. Do you expect me to trust you ever again? Hell, you don't even trust  _me._ "

_Wow, way to fuck it up, Sukochi._

We lapsed into tense silence.

My mother clenched and unclenched her fists. My stepfather laid a hand on her shoulder, but she brushed him off, and when she finally spoke, her words were soft and gentle- almost dangerously so. "No, you're right, Sukochi." My mother looked forlornly down at her plate, and I almost felt bad for her. Almost. "I don't trust you anymore. And I'm so sorry for that. I wish that things hadn't fallen apart."

KiyomI cleared her throat. "Um, can I go now?"

She shook herself out of her thoughts, giving us all a tired smile. "Of course, dear. You're all excused. Have a good night, everyone."

Slipping from the confines of our dining room, I hurried up the stairs and into the safety of my room, locking the door behind me. Enmeshed in bluish darkness, I flopped facedown into my pillow, still fuming. Its musty scent calmed me down, somehow- the smell of my favorite brand of shampoo, my mother's candles, some semblance of home.

I was so stupid. I couldn't do anything right. Damn my stupid temper. Damn my parents. Damn school. Damn the Sohmas. Damn it, damn it, damn it.

Damn Daichi for dying and leaving me alone.

 

Hatori's POV

As soon as I reached the privacy of my bedroom, I lay down on my bed, rolling over onto my side and heaving a sigh of relief. Fortunately, our first day of school had gone mostly without a hitch, but even so, there was something still bothering me.

Sukochi Fujikawa. Just what about her was so interesting?

Shigure poked his head through the door, towel wrapped around his neck, hair damp, and wearing his preferred kimono. "Mind if I come in?" Without waiting for an answer, he promptly invited himself into my room and plopped down on the edge of my bed. "So, you're not worried at all, Ha'ri?"

"Of course I am." Still perplexed, I gave him a sidelong glance. "Just be careful and don't do anything rash. You know we can't let anyone find out- Akito-sama won't be so lenient if we do."

"I  _know_  that you're interested in her, Ha'ri." Shigure swung his legs back and forth, a smirk teasing his lips. "Not romantically, of course. But I know that you're very, very curious about Sukochi Fujikawa."

"What if I am? We both know she's hiding something."

"A bit like we are, hm? What about  _our_  little secret?" Shigure teased, poking me in the ribs. "Keeping our own while expecting her to spill hers? That seems a bit unfair, Ha'ri."

"It's not a matter of unfair or fair, Shigure." I folded my arms over my chest, watching as he pulled out a chess set from my cabinet, opening the frayed box and assembling the intricately carved playing pieces. "You're just as curious as I am."

"Well, as much as I don't like to admit it...yes. I''ll choose to join your side in this situation. If we want to get all metaphorical about it, I'd say that it's a bit of a game." He held up the black knight, smiling mysteriously. "We both have to satisfy our curiosity, it's not like we're using her or anything. She's a decently charming girl, and we don't want to hurt her, do we?" Shigure tossed the white queen up and down. "So, who do you think is our opponent in this game, Ha'ri?"

"If there even _is_  one." I gave him a calculated look. "Akito, maybe. You know how she'll react if she finds out there's a girl involved."

Shigure let out a humorless laugh, rolling the queen between his fingertips and closing his palm over it. "Then it looks like we have to protect our queen. Are you with me, Ha'ri?"

Without waiting for a response, he sauntered out of the room with a spring in his step, leaving the chess pieces in a disarray behind him.

I heaved a sigh, before pulling my laptop onto my lap. Logging in, I pulled up a new tab, typing in "Sukochi Fujikawa." It couldn't be  _that_  common of a name, right?

The results popped up on my screen- an illegal site for private records seemed to have a sizable amount of information on the subject. I impatiently clicked on the link, face scrunched-up in concentration.

_Picture unavailable. We apologize for this inconvenience._

_Full name: Sukochi Fujikawa_

_Age: 16_

_Birthday: February 7th_

_Blood Type: O_

I scrolled down further as useless information kept on popping up, until finally, I hit jackpot.

_Known Family Members:_

_Shiro Fujikawa (father) (deceased)_

_Ayako Nakashima (mother) (deceased)_

_Said person is currently living in the care of foster parents._

So she was orphaned? Huh, maybe she wasn't that different from us. Creating a new page, I tried a new search: "Shiro Fujikawa and Ayako Nakashima."

Numerous online articles popped up, all of which had similar headlines:  _Husband murders wife, before committing suicide in front of his seven year-old daughter._

It was shocking, to say the least, but it did give me the explanation I wanted.

So why wasn't I satisfied?

Fujikawa reminded me so much of Akito it terrified me. Stoic, mysterious, overwhelmingly closed off, sardonic, just on the precipice of something deadly.

Maybe if I could figure Fujikawa out, I could figure Akito out, too.

I stared at the chess board I never bothered to put back; the king, queen, knights, bishops, rooks, and pawns, all entirely stationary and stuck in their original positions. What was my next move? What would I do next?

Shigure really did understand me better than anyone.

 

 


	3. Secrets

_Shouldn't Daichi be back now?" the eleven year-old girl asked, sipping her cup of orange juice, her legs repeatedly knocking back into the legs of her chair. She glanced at her watch, pursing her lips. "It's already a quarter to three."_

_"I'm sure that it's just a bit of traffic." He mother gave her a thin-lipped smile, chopping up a tuft of chives on a cutting board in preparation for dinner. "Nothing to worry about, Sukochi."_

_"Um...okay." She shrugged, albeit reluctantly, before she was shaken from her thoughts by the jazzy love song sounding from her mother's cellphone._

_Her mother lunged forward to snatch it off the counter, cradling it between her ear and shoulder as she continued her work. "Hello? Reiko Hamasaki here. Who's speaking?" A moment later_ _, her eyes widened in horror, her knife falling to the floor with a loud thunk. "No, no...tell me that this is some kind of joke."_

_The girl turned around, a deep sense of foreboding pooling at the pit of her stomach. "Mom? What happened? What's wrong? Mom!"_

_Her eyes flickered sternly to her daughter, a silent message to keep quiet, before she nodded curtly. "Of course. We'll be there as soon as possible. Thanks for letting us know."_

_Reiko ended the call, hands shaking as she pocketed her phone. She hesitated, eyes going glassy, before furiously untying her apron and throwing it onto a dining chair. Breathing uneven and lip trembling, she hefted her purse and tugged her daughter off of her chair. "Come on, Sukochi, this is no time for playing games. We have to get going. Now."_

_"Go where?" Sukochi demanded. "What happened? Did something happen?"_

_"Your dad and Daichi got into an accident, sweetheart. On the highway. And..." Reiko faltered, and let out a choked-off sob, burying her face into her hands. "Your dad's fine, but Daichi-"_

_"Daichi what? Mom,_   _just tell me!" she shrieked, in near hysterics._

_"The doctors say that he's...he's not gonna make it."_

 

_"I'm sorry about your brother, Fujikawa-chan-"_

_"He was such a nice boy, honey."_

_"You poor darling. Need a kiss to make it better?"_

_"I'm so sorry."_

_The world seemed surreal as she stood there in the long-sleeved black dress that was two sizes too small for her, accepting condolences with a curt nod and holding a rose pink umbrella over her head to block the light drizzle._

_From what the doctor had told her, Daichi had taken a severe blow to the head when a truck transporting fresh produce had crashed into the car from the back, sending the tiny vehicle skidding to the side of the road and striking a patch of trees. There wasn't anything anyone could have done to save him._

Why him? Why him and not somebody else?

 _He had his entire life ahead of him. An entire life to spend with_  her _. Friends, family, birthdays, weddings, celebrations, graduations, memories, marriage, children...but that had all been erased in an instant, as if her brother's life was worth nothing. Wasn't that cruel? How could that be fair? How had her perfect life spun so out of control?_

I hate you, God. I hate you so much for doing this to me.

_"I offer you my condolences, Hamasaki-san." A tall man approached them and bowed in her mother's direction. "I'm not sure if you remember me, but I had dinner at your home three years ago. Your husband and I were close friends during our university days."_

_Reiko blinked away her tears, smiling feebly. "Of course, how could I forget? Thank you for coming today, Kurosawa-san."_

_"It's nothing._ _Again, I'm so sorry for you loss, Hamasaki-san. Our prayers are with your son."_

_Sukochi determinedly averted ger eyes, kicking around a muddy clump of grass and keeping her eyes fixated to the ground. Everything was just wrong. Twisted. Fake._

Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

_"I have to get going, but I hope to see you again soon. My condolences."_

 

_"Just listen to me. Business is tight, we're_ _about to get kicked out of our home, and what are you doing? Wasting your time! You have to pick yourself up, Katashi. Or have you forgotten about Sukochi?" Reiko shouted._

_"You think that it's my fault that Daichi's dead, don't you? But what could I have done?" Katashi said scathingly. "You're just being childish, Reiko. His death has nothing to do with this."_

_"Oh, I'm being childish?" Reiko laughed incredulously. "Says the one who refuses to grow up."_

_"I can't take a moment to grieve for my son? You can't cut me some slack?" He let out a choked-off sob. "I watched him die, Reiko."_

_"And you're only feeling sorry for yourself," she said contemptuously._

_"Don't pretend you're not. You cry every day. You barely talk to me anymore. You're not helping your daughter. Can't you see that she's different now? Don't you know that she's locking herself in her bedroom at night?" Katashi huffed. "You know,_ _you're not exactly top-notch parent material, if you haven't noticed."_

_Reiko went dangerously quiet. "Excuse me? What did you just say to me?"_

_They lapsed into tense silence._

_"I don't think that this marriage is working out," she whispered._

_"Took the words right out of my mouth." Katashi laughed humorlessly. "Wow, we're really screwed up, aren't we? Maybe we deserve each other."_

_"So now what?" Reiko murmured. "We divorce?"_

_"Be my guest."_

 

_"Bye, Dad," she mumbled, giving him a half-hearted hug. Pressing her face against his collared shirt, she breathed in the musty scent of his cheap drug store cologne for the final time. Sukochi didn't want to admit it, but she would miss him when he was finally gone- his booming laughter, his cheesy jokes, the way that he used to spin her around and throw her into the air._

_"I'm so sorry, Sukochi," he murmured, planting a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "I'm so sorry."_

_"So you're never going to see me again?"_

_"_ _'l'll see what I can do. It's up to your mom, though." Katashi ruffled her hair and pulled her tighter to him. "Be good, okay?"_

_She nodded, unwinding her arms from him and backing away, watching as he picked up his suitcase and opened the door. Glancing back at her one last time, he smiled forlornly and closed the door behind him._ Thud.

_Sukochi reached out for him, fingers extending towards the door as if he were still there, still tangible. However, she retracted them almost immediately, disgusted with herself for being so foolish, so naive._

No more him. He wasn't a part of her life anymore. No more love. No love for anyone.

_No love for Kurosawa-san, who came over for dinner every night now. No love for Kiyomi, the brat that tugged at her hair and stole her toys. No love for her mother, who forced a smile as she put herself back together again, for her father, moving to a place far, far away._

_These intruders- no, they weren't her family_ _. They were hollow and numb, absorbed in their own happiness and oblivious to her misery. She could never accept them, wasn't going to let anyone get close to her ever again._

_No more love, no more love, no more love._

But that was about to change.

Everything that she'd known about herself was about to change.


	4. Equanimities

Hatori's POV

Shigure's eyes lit up when he saw her, "Fujikawa-chan!" Before I could stop him, he was bounding over to her, slinging an arm over her shoulder. "Isn't it beautiful today?"

"Very much so," Fujikawa said stiffly.

"Mm-hm! All blue skies and sunshine. Just fantastic!" He beamed at her, before leaning over and nudging Ayame in the ribs. "Hey, I just had the greatest idea! Want to play a teeny prank on the darling little first-years before classes begin?"

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Subtlety really wasn't Shigure's forte.

"Ooh, really?" Ayame snapped to attention. "I would absolutely love to."

"Alright, let's go, partner!" He snatched his friend's wrist and took off at top speed towards the entrance of the school, successfully leaving the two of us alone at the gate.

"So, how are you today?" I asked conversationally.

She shrugged, her eyes glued to my cousins' retreating backs. "I'm okay, I guess. You?"

"Oh, yeah? Same here," I said, with just the slightest hint of sarcasm. "Nothing to hide, nothing at all."

Fujikawa narrowed her eyes at me. "If you've got something to say, just spit it out."

Now, how to say this without sounding like a total creep? Maybe Shigure could get away with saying it upfront, but I had a reputation to uphold.

The mature one, the responsible one. The one who erased memories and kept his head held high.

I took a deep breath. "I heard about what happened to your family."

Her face froze in surprise, but before long, she was laughing sheepishly- not at all what I expected from her. Maybe she was used to it by now? "Oh, right. That. I didn't think anyone knew about that, but- um, okay."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Oh no, it's fine." Fujikawa waved a dismissive hand. She was being weirdly flippant about the whole thing- she'd watched her parents die, hadn't she? How could she be so casual? "I hope you don't mind me asking, but- just where did you hear about all this? I wasn't aware that my secrets were on display."

I couldn't tell her I'd searched her up online- that'd come off as stalkerish, like I was trying to pry.

"Just around," I said nonchalantly. "Rumors and things."

"Uh-huh." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Rumors and things."

We lapsed into awkward silence.

"So you're okay with it?" I asked.

"What, the fact that you're prying into my personal life?" Fujikawa said coolly. "No, not particularly."

Ouch. I grimaced. "I understand you're upset-"

"Oh, I'm  _upset_? Stop the fucking presses." She let out a derisive snort. "It's a funny world we live in, you know- people tend to get the  _teenies_ t bit upset when you dig up their traumatic pasts without a care in the world. I mean, who would've guessed?"

I opened my mouth to apologize, but she ignored me.

"If there's one thing I've learned, Sohma, it's don't ask, don't tell. You've got some dirty secrets of your own, don't you,  _Ha'ri_?" she leered, jabbing a finger in my face. "But you know what, Sohma? Who gives a damn? You stay out of my business, and I'll stay out of yours. We'll be much better off that way."

Fujikawa turned on her heel and promptly flounced away, her skirt dappled by the early morning sunshine. She wasn't particularly beautiful, I knew, a little plain even- so why couldn't I look away from her?

One of my classmates, Nishimura, sidled up to me, elbowing me in the ribs. "Hey, hey, what did you do to piss  _her_  off?"

I narrowed my eyes at her retreating back. "Your guess is as good as mine."

It was dangerous, being so close to a girl. I recognized that. Staring at Fujikawa, it felt like betrayal.

Gain her trust and figure her out; that was the very essence of my plan. I wasn't planning on letting her in on the secret- no, she was going to stay far, far away from that. As long as Shigure and Ayame didn't blow our cover, our secret would be just that- a secret. Our burden.

She thought how that we were halfway-normal teenage boys, and it was going to stay that way.

Funny how things usually don't go the way you plan.

 

"How did the prank go?" I plopped myself down onto our usual bench and pulled out my bento box, humoring him for once. It was nice, every once in a while, to just sit and let the faint hum of his chatter to wash over me.

Shigure heaved a sigh. "Minami-sensei caught us. That woman is Satan incarnate, I swear to God."

"Well, what did you expect? She has quite the reputation, you know."

"Speaking of Satan incarnate," he added, grinning slyly, "how did your little chat with Fujikawa go?"

I scowled, gesturing to the empty spot besides me. "What do you think?"

"After I created that nice diversion for you and everything!" Shigure clucked his tongue, shaking his head disapprovingly. "No wonder she hasn't spoken to me all morning. Geez, Ha'ri, I didn't think you could fuck up _that_  bad."

I raised an eyebrow at me. "Like you could've done a better job."

He ignored me. "What did I expect? You of all people can't possibly comprehend the depth of a woman's heart. Girls are fickle creatures, you know- say the wrong thing, and you tip everything off balance. Say the wrong thing, and everything's ruined. That's it. No second chances."

I sighed. "Wonderful. Might as well give it up here."

Shigure smacked me on the shoulder. "Hold up- did I say you could do such a thing? A humble piece of advice, Ha'ri- girls love to throw temper tantrums and storm off, but you know what they love even more?"

I eyed him warily. "Enlighten me."

"When a dashing gentleman sweeps them off their feet and _apologizes._ " Shigure waves his chopsticks to where Fujikawa was leaning inconspicuously against a tree, picking at her lunch. "Go on, win her back. Flex those manly muscles of yours."

Rolling my eyes, I trudged over, squatting down besides her. "Hey."

Fujikawa glowered at me. "What do _you_  want?"

"I'm sorry for today," I began, before hesitating. "I was thinking about what you said this morning, so here goes: I won't ask you too many questions on the condition that you'll do the same for me. We'll be perfectly oblivious to each other's secrets. How does that sound?"

She tilted her head to the side, carefully regarding me. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"Exactly," I replied, holding her gaze, "you don't."

Fujikawa cracked a grin, holding a hand out to me. "We've got ourselves a deal, then."

We shook on it, her hand warm and soft in mine.

 

Sukochi's POV

Even after we'd made our deal, things were still undeniably awkward between me and Hatori. Luckily, Ayame and Shigure's rapport was enough to make up for it, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. That he knew more than he let on.

 _What are you hiding?_  I wanted so desperately to ask.

_Keep your friends at a distance, Sukochi. Don't let them get under your skin._

Shigure's idle chatter shook me out of my thoughts. "So, I was going grocery shopping, and then the clerk who was at least a dozen years older than me...guess what, guys? Are you listening to me? She was  _hitting_  on me! Honest-to-God hitting on me! Like batting her eyelashes and complimenting and stuff. Her figure was really nice, and I suppose she was decently looking, but she really wasn't my type. I'm more for that clueless, cold, hard-to-get type...kind of like you, Fujikawa-chan!"

I rolled my eyes, sipping at my iced coffee.

Hatori yawned, flipping a page in his textbook. "Tell me...why do I care again?"

I stifled a snicker. "Why would anyone want to hit on  _you_?"

"Maybe perverts are in style these days," he said drily.

"You're just jealous," Shigure huffed. "I mean, I'm practically catnip for the older women- they absolutely  _adore_  me."

I almost choked on my mouthful of noodles. "Yes, because you're just  _so_  charming."

"Of course! How do you think I've gotten myself a whole ring of admirers? With these boyish charms and stunningly good looks, of course!" Shigure declared, puffing out his chest and striking a theatrical pose.

" _Ring of admirers_?" I raised an eyebrow at him, exchanging an exasperated look with Hatori.

"Haven't you noticed them? Tsk, tsk, my dear, I thought you were more perceptive than  _that_ ," he chided, wagging a finger at me. "Why don't I prove it to you, Fujikawa-chan?"

My lips curled into a smirk. "Five hundred yen says you can't."

"I say ten hundred," Hatori added, obviously repressing his smile.

One of the more popular girls in our class, Tanaka, was just nearby, doing her makeup surrounded by her usual posse of subservient kohai. She was pretty, I knew, with her magnificent head of blonde hair and her weirdly perfect cheekbones- the kind of guy who was way out of Shigure's league.

I pointed at her as discreetly as I could, barely stifling my laughter. "Go on. Seduce her. Show us these charms of yours."

"Of course! Don't mind if I do." Slicking back his bangs, he sauntered over to her, clearing his throat to draw her attention. "Good afternoon, Tanaka-chan! The weather today is lovely, isn't it? Not as lovely as you, of course."

I clapped a hand onto my mouth, on the verge of bursting into hysterical laughter.

She barely glanced at him, reapplying her purple eyeshadow in her hand mirror. "Did you need something, Sohma?"

"I'm so  _delighted_  that you remembered my name," Shigure purred. "I must  _say_ , my dear, you look absolutely  _gorgeous_  in that uniform. It's a s _hame_  that that skirt of yours isn't just a teensy, weensy bit shorter, if you get my drift." As if that wasn't enough, he just had to wink.

Tanaka snapped her mirror shut, flicking a single manicured talon in his direction. "Get him, ladies."

He let out a bleat of nervous laughter. "What?" His bewilderment quickly turned into horror as Tanaka's cronies pounced on him.

Once they were done with him, I watched in faintly veiled amusement as he stumbled back to us, grimacing as he nursed a particularly nasty bruise on his forearm. He heaved a sigh of defeat, collapsing back onto the bench. "How much do I owe you two again?"

 

"It was a fluke, okay?" Shigure protested, batting me on the shoulde.r "Come on, Fujikawa-chan, back me up here!"

"And why would I do that?" I smirked at him, licking the ice cream cone I'd bought with the money I had won from our bet with a skip in our step. Luckily, there was a creamery on the way back to my house- stopping by had become sort of routine for us.

"You're a girl, right? Right?"

"So  _kind_  of you to finally notice," I deadpanned.

"Good." He ignored me, looking far too smug. "If you were a normal girl, wouldn't you be falling for me right away?"

" _Normal_  girl?" I sputtered. "What the hell is _that_  supposed to mean?"

"That's besides the  _point,_  Fujikawa-chan!" he insisted. "I mean, I'm so charming and lovable, and just _look_  at this gorgeous face!"

I rolled my eyes. "Right. A face only a mother could love."

Even Hatori, with his heart of bricks, couldn't help but chuckle that, renewing my confidence. "See? Even Mr. Ice Queen here agrees with me."

"Okay, fine," Shigure conceded. "But if you could date any one of us, who would you pick? Me, right? It's totally me."

"Of course,  _I_  would, Shigure-"

"Oh, I had no doubts about _that,_  Aya."

Suddenly struck my inspiration, I slung an arm over Hatori's shoulder and pulled him into me, pressing my hip into his. For good measure, I even stood on tiptoe to peck his cheek. "Sorry to disappoint you, lover boy."

" _What_? You'd pick  _Ha'ri_?" Shigure stammered.

Man, I was getting way too much satisfaction from this. "Well, for starters, he's _way_  better looking than you. It's the blank facial expression and green eyes, you know? Girls dig green eyes."

"Is that all?" Shigure wrinkled his nose at me. "No offense, Fujikawa-chan, but you have an appalling taste in men."

"Thanks a lot, Shigure."

"I didn't mean like that, Ha'ri!"

"Sure you didn't."

I laughed at the pout on his face, and promptly unwound myself form Hatori. "Geez, Sohma, let it go already. If you want the truth, I wouldn't pick any of you. Y'all are idiots."

"But you love us anyways, right?" Ayame piped up. "We love you, too, Fujikawa-chan."

Shigure heaved a sigh. "It's a pity we can't share you."

"Oh, shut it, you."

Before I knew it, we were standing at my front gate and saying our farewells. As much as I didn't want to admit it, it sort of made sad- it was so easy to forget that this was all pretend when I was with them, sharing ice creams and teasing Shigure and skipping across town.

"Bye, Fujikawa-chan!" Shigure blew me a kiss. "Think of me in your dreams, my dearest!"

Barely suppressing my smile, I shook my head and slipped into my house. Honestly, those boys.

My mother poked her head out of the kitchen, wearing the teddy bear apron Daichi and I had once given to her as a birthday present. My heart ached at the sight of the faded yellow fabric and the messy pink embroidering. "Welcome home, Sukochi! How was your school?"

"Oh, um, you know. The usual."

"You know, I'm really proud of you, honey," she said fondly. "I'm glad you've finally made friends, opened yourself up a bit. It's not healthy for a growing girl to be pent up all of the time."

I tried not to flinch as she moved closer to me. Movements tentative and jerky, she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, pressing her cheek into my shoulder. I stiffened, my mind flashing back to that day, all of those years ago, the day that I promised not to let anyone close enough to hurt me ever again.

The last day I ever saw my father.

Before I could stop myself, I was pushing her away, unable to look her in the eye.

"Why are you always like this, Sukochi?" my mother whispered, hurt, disbelieivng, "I try to make things better between the two of us. Your stepfather does the same. And Kiyomi's done nothing but try to get closer to you. But no, all you do is shut us out, push us further away. Why, Sukochi? Why did you have to change? Why are you like this?"

"You should know. It's your fault that he's gone," I whispered, thinking of Dad. The sharp scent of his cologne. His laugh. His smile.

"You think it's my fault that Daichi's gone?" she said, quivery and unsteady, struggling to keep her composure. "Is that really what you think?"

I hesitated. She thought I was talking about Daichi? Was I supposed to correct her? Would that make her even angrier?

My mother's face darkened. "So that's how you've felt all of this time?"

I couldn't say anything. I just couldn't. The words wouldn't force themselves out, no matter how much I tried.

"I don't understand...why do you hate me so much? What have I ever done to you?" A note of hysteria entered her voice. "Why, Sukochi? What happened to my daughter?

And then came the final blow.

"You're just like your father."

Anger boiled in my blood. I wasn't like my father. He left me when I needed him the most. He chose to disappear from my life, chose to leave me behind with my control freak of a mother and her new happy family, the family that had no place for me. That monster wasn't my father.

My nails dug into my palms. " _Never_  compare me to him."

Without looking back, I whipped around and ran out the door, head pounding and heart beating a million miles an hour. It was already dusk, the sky turning a blend of pale lavender and orange, the howling wind biting harshly at my face.

I didn't know where I was going; hell, did I even care? Just as long as I got far, far away from her, far from her unsteady hands and that godforsaken apron and that look of disappointment in her eyes. Anywhere but there.

Before long, I was forced to stop, clutching at a searing stitch in my side, blinking away the deep-seated exhaustion sitting behind the hollows of my eyelids. Flopping onto park bench, I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to breathe, exhaling shakily when the burning in my lungs subsided.

Only then did I fully register what had just happened.

_Sukochi, you fucking idiot._

I shivered as a particularly fierce gust of wind blew by, wrapping my coat a little tighter around my waist. Now that I had gotten myself into this mess, what choices did I really have? Where could I go now? What could I do next?

I really was pathetic.


	5. Sacrifices

Hatori's POV

"Hey, Ha'ri!" Shigure called from downstairs, his voice muffled by the thick wall separating us. "Wanna take a walk? The weather isn't too bad tonight, so what do you think?"

"Did Ayame agree to stay home? We can't risk him transforming," I replied, standing up and placing an index card in my book as a quick bookmark. Flicking the light switch off, I slid off my mattress and slipped into my light windbreaker.

"Yeah, he said he didn't mind," Shigure said as I zipped up my jacket and headed down the stairs. "I take it that you're worried as usual?"

"Dealing with you two, it's a wonder I get any sleep at night." Ignoring his pout, I grabbed a flashlight and pushed open the front door. "You're not planning to date anyone, right?"

"Of course not." He frowned at me and followed me outside, a shower of cherry blossom petals blowing past us and leaving the faintest trail of their warm fragrance behind. We walked across the lawn of our house inside of the estate, feet pattering against the damp grass. "I'm not as stupid as you think I am, Ha'ri. You know all of that playboy stuff is just for show."

"I'm well aware of that." I heaved a sigh. "We can't just let our guard down, you know. You do want to stay in a normal high school, right? There's no telling what Akito might do if someone accidentally finds out about the curse."

"Do you really think that she'd lock us up if that happened?" Shigure asked, cocking his head to the side, more curious than anxious.

"Of course she would," I snapped. "Don't you know who we're dealing with?"

"She's not a bad person, Ha'ri," he said softly. "Here's the thing: she just doesn't like all of us treating her like she's ticking time bomb. Maybe if you started treating her like a person, for once-"

"Which is the exact opposite of what any of us are," I cut him off. "You don't have to play the role of her obedient lapdog, you know."

Shigure went quiet. "I promised that I would love her forever," he whispered. "And it's a promise I intend to keep."

"That might be true for you, but what about the rest of us? What if I want my own life?" I said. "As long as I'm trapped here, that's just wishful thinking."

We lapsed into silence, turning the corner onto a street filled with nothing but cheap hair salons and sushi restaurants, the air permeated by the soupy smell of cigarettes. The block was nearly empty this late at night; the only person in sight was a crumpled figure curled up on a park bench.

Shigure stopped in his tracks. "Hang on." Grabbing the flashlight, he shone the beam onto the mystery person, revealing a familiar face. " _Fujikawa-chan_?"

She mumbled something completely incoherent in her sleep, turning over to press her face into the bench.

"What should we do?" Shigure whispered, gnawing at the inside of his cheek. "We can't just  _leave_  her here."

"So what?" I demanded. "It's not our responsibility to take care of her."

"But anything could happen to her here! We absolutely _have_  to take her with us," Shigure insisted, crouching down to get a better look at her face.

"We can't, you  _idiot_! What about Akito? If she finds out that we've been hanging around a  _girl_  for the past month, who knows what she'll do?" I hissed, leaning forward to tug his arm. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

" _Something_  must have happened. Why else would she be here?" he fired back. "Insane or not, I'm taking her with me. What kind of friends are we if we just leave her here?"

_Friends._

Somewhere over the timeline of a month, we'd become _friends._

Absolutely ridiculous.

Without waiting for a reply, he tossed her backpack to me, bending down to ease her frail body onto his back. She mumbled incoherently in her sleep, but didn't wake up as he tucked her legs around his torso, positioning her so her arms were slumped over his shoulders, her cheek pressed to his hair.

"Are you sure she isn't too heavy for you?" I asked, watching as he stumbled forward.

"Nah, I'm fine. I can handle her on my own," he grunted, shifting her weight on his back, and shot me a strained smirk. "Ha, I knew you'd give in eventually."

Our late-night walk forgotten, we slowly inched our way back to the estate, doing our best not to wake her up.

"Any theories as to why we found her on a park bench?" Shigure jutted his chin in her direction. "I mean, I knew she was a mysterious person, but whoa. This goes beyond my wildest imagination, which, as you know, it was pretty damn wild."

"Something with her family, probably. Or maybe she's been sleeping on a park bench this entire time and we never noticed. We can ask her when she wakes up," I said, unable to look away from her sleeping form. Fujikawa, forever an enigma- had I ever really known her?

"Christ, she's gonna kill us, isn't she?" Shigure whimpered.0

"She'll probably threaten to hit you with her baseball bat," I said, barely suppressing my smile at the thought. "And then she'll slap you and call you a pervert."

He cringed. "I can feel the bruises already."

 

 Sukochi's POV

A beam of sunlight struck me squarely in the eye.

"Ugh," I groaned, smashing my face into a nearby pillow.

Wait...a pillow? Something was wrong here.

I flashed back to yesterday. What had happened, again? I'd gotten into that petty fight with my mother, impulsively made the crappy decision to run away from home, and flopped onto that park bench. And, without realizing it, fallen asleep, apparently. And then what? Wasn't I supposed to be outside? Had my family somehow found me and dragged me home?

Stretching my sore shoulder muscles, I forced my eyes open. My surroundings were unfamiliar- an entirely traditional Japanese room with just the barest hint of Western style, tatami mats and oriental vases and kotetsus and everything.

The details were great and all, but where the hell was I?

"Good morning, Fujikawa-san."

_Oh shit._

Hatori was sitting cross-legged next to me, already dressed in his school uniform. He handed me a paper cup filled with water, reliably impassive despite the bizarre situation we had gotten ourselves into.

I flushed beet red. "What did you do to me?"

"Don't jump to conclusions, Fujikawa-san." He arched an eyebrow at me. "You were sleeping on a park bench when we found you, and since Shigure didn't want to leave you alone, here we are. It's what a friend would have done, right?"

I gritted my teeth. "And I suppose you want me to kowtow to you and express my eternal gratitude?"

"Just stating the facts." Hatori shrugged, standing up and dusting off his slacks. "Are you hungry? I can make breakfast."

"No, not really," I said resolutely, doing my best to ignore the growling in my stomach. "Anyways...where are Sohma #2 and 3?"

"Sleeping upstairs," he replied, sipping from his tea mug. "A train could crash into this house and the two of them still wouldn't wake up. Anyways, we'd better get going. If we get there early enough, you can wash your clothes in the school laundry room."

"My clothes are just-" I faltered, scowling down at my soiled clothes. Wrinkled and a little torn, they were coated in a gritty layer of dust and dirt that wouldn't budge even when I furiously tried to scrub it off with my hand.

"Are you finished?" he said coolly.

"Asshole."

Hatori pretended not to hear me. "Since we don't have any girls' clothes, you'll just have to make do with some of mine for now." Tossing me a plastic bag filled with clothes, he ushered me into a nearby bathroom.

I closed the door and peeked into the bag. A baggy t-shirt. Jeans that looked way too big for me. A thick leather belt.

I changed quickly, peeling off my dirty uniform and slipping into his loose clothes. Why had Shigure wanted to bring me home? Were they going to ask me some weird questions about what had happened? Or would they do what they usually did and just accept it?

Hatori was standing at the front door, fingers tapping idly on his knee when I stepped out of the bathroom, tucking the bottom of the shirt into his old jeans. "Ready to go?" he asked, passing me my backpack.

I nodded, hoisting the it onto my shoulders and following him out of the door and into the early morning sunshine. The air was light and cool, crisp like it usually was during springtime.

"So what really happened last night?" he asked- the question I'd been anticipating. As carefully as I'd been planning out an answer, my mind blanked the very moment I tried to recall it. I felt spectacularly stupid, but then again, what else was knew?

Well, fuck it. "Just some...family issues."

"I'm guessing you got into a fight with your foster parents?"

Wait. Hold on a second. Foster parents? Since when did I have _foster parents_?

"Excuse me?" I asked, my mouth suddenly very dry. "Foster parents?"

For the first time since I met him, he seemed genuinely puzzled, an eyebrow raised. "You heard me. Did something happen between you and your foster parents?"

"You mean my nonexistent ones?" I snapped, at my breaking point. What the hell was he going on about? "And here I was thinking that you knew about Daichi-" I clapped a hand to my mouth, just realizing that I had voiced my thoughts out loud. 

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Who's Daichi?"

Oh shit. I was cornered. "Um...he was just a friend of mine-"

"And I'm the queen of England," Hatori cut me off. "Tell me the truth, Fujikawa. Who is he?"

I heaved a sigh.  _Well, Sukochi, you done fucked up. Got any more brilliant ideas?_

Well, it seemed like there was no other way out of this. No laughing it off now.

But then again, what had I been so afraid off? What did I have to lose? Why had I insisted on keeping that part of me so sheltered? If I'd wanted to keep myself isolated, scoff and say that I didn't need friends, I'd failed miserably- I realized that as I laid on the Sohma's futon.

That it wasn't pretend. That it never had been.

So I told him the truth.

"And that's my secret," I finished. "Are you happy now?"

We lapsed into silence.

"You broke our promise," Hatori muttered.

"I did, didn't I?" I laughed humorlessly, my head tilted towards the sky. "What're you gonna do about that, Sohma?"

He didn't reply, and we spent the rest of our walk in silence.

 

The bell sang its beautiful music after last period.

Tipping the stack of textbooks into my bag, I raced out the door without waiting for the Sohma trio and ran home. Doing my best to ignore all of the strange looks coming my way, I forced my way to the entrance of the building, shoving past tides of chattering students, and burst into the midday sunshine.

I wondered what had gone through their minds when they saw me sleeping on a park bench. What would I have done? Called the police? Left them there without a second thought? I guess I really was that selfish.

The cherry blossom trees were in full bloom at this time of year, the pale pink petals tickling at my nose and inflaming my horrible allergies. Rubbing at my watery eyes, I began to pick up the pace, loose skirt blowing around my knees. In my rush to leave them behind, I sprinted past joggers, pedestrians, and students, occasionally peeking over my shoulder to make sure that no one was following me.

Too soon, I was standing before my house. Taking a deep breath, I reluctantly slipped the house.

My mother poked her head out of the kitchen, managing a feeble smile. The smell of freshly baked cookies was wafting out of the kitchen, and her hair was dusted with the flour. "Well, you're home early today. Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," I mumbled under my breath, desperately avoiding eye contact.

"I'm just glad that you're safe," she said, her strained smile never wavering. "Where were you last night?"

"I tried to camp out on a park bench and I...um...yeah. I fell asleep. My friends found me and brought me to their house for the night," I said, a little wary. She was eerily calm, her eyes glazed over and lips pulled taut, like the sky before a storm.

My mother folded her arms across her chest. "Got anything else to add, Sukochi?"

Of course I wasn't getting off just like that I lowered my head. "Sorry."

Every apology we made, it was never genuine, always those same pretend smiles and candy-coated words, lies and false promises that we'd start over again. But even as we faced one another, we both knew it'd fall apart eventually. After all, things could never be the same between us.

"You know, I'd really like to meet these friends of yours, thank them for all they've done for you," she said brightly, clapping her hands together. "Would you do me a favor, dear? When you see them again, please invite them over for dinner sometime."

I thought desperately for a way out, some lame excuse; after all, dinner with both the idiot trio and my family wasn't a particularly tantalizing prospect. But then I thought of Shigure's goofy smile. How likable he actually was. He could probably pull himself and his cousins through a dinner with the family they knew I hated.

_Nope, this has nothing to do with guilt or anything. Zilch._

I nodded, and she beamed. "Thank you, Sukochi."

 

"Of course, darling!" Shigure chirped. "We would simply love the pleasure of your family's company!"

That tiny sliver of hope within me died almost instantly. I had been secretly hoping that the three of them already had plans, or simply an aversion to obsessive compulsive mothers and bratty little sisters. But as per usual, luck wasn't on my side. The Sohmas were meeting my stepfamily, whether I wanted them to or not.

"Just don't do or say anything stupid, okay?" I conceded wearily. "My parents are already suspicious of you guys for picking me up and dragging me to your house. Convince them that you didn't do anything weird to me, and we'll be just fine."

"Just leave it to me, Fujikawa-chan!" Shigure winked at me, flashing a thumbs-up.

Hatori only rolled his eyes. "Just tell your parents that we can't stay for too long. Our...family head wouldn't like it if we stayed out too late. Not to mention that a few idiots I know have quite a few assignments to catch up on."

"Ha'ri, you're no fun!" Shigure whined. "And I'm sure Akito-sama wouldn't mind, just this once!"

"You know why, Shigure," Hatori said, sending him an urgent look.

Cue the awkward pause.

I cleared my throat, pointing at the steady stream of students filing into our classroom. "Well, um...we better get moving if we don't want to be murdered by the old hag. 'Cause...you know how bitchy she gets when we're late and...yeah."

Hatori stared at Shigure for a moment longer, before giving a shake of his head. "Great. Let's go."

What the hell was that about? I narrowed my eyes as he entered the classroom, following a sulking Shigure. Taking a seat besides him, I tapped a pencil against my chin, just watching him.

He calmly removed a black pen from him pencil case and placed them on top of the desk, his textbooks and neatly organized binders following. His focus seemed to be entirely on Minami-sensei as she began to scribble something on the blackboard with pink chalk and delved head-first into her monotonous lecture.

I didn't realize that I'd been staring at him so intently until he finally noticed, frowning at me. "Is something wrong, Fujikawa?"

I fought the heat I felt rising to my face "Nothing!"

He cocked his head to the side. "Are you sure? You seemed-"

Minami-sensei paused abruptly and smacked the blackboard with her ruler, glaring daggers at the two of us. "Fujikawa-san, Sohma? Is there something that you'd like to share with the class?"

Hatori, being the smart ass he was, stood up and inclined his head respectfully to her. "My apologies, Minami-sensei. Fujikawa just asked me question about the material."

The old hag huffed, shooting me a stern look. "Fair enough. Next time you have a question, Fujikawa, please bring it to me instead. Your chatter is distracting our class."

I nodded stiffly as she, finally satisfied, turned around and resumed her lecture Zoning out as the minutes ticked by, I'd grown drowsy with boredom when a folded-up piece of paper was tossed onto my desk. Nearly falling off my chair in surprise, I glanced round the room to make sure that no one was looking at me, namely Minami-sensei, before hastily unfolding the note and squinting to read the tiny writing.

_Are you alright? You can tell me if you'd like. -Hatori_

I glanced at him, and he pretended not to notice.  _I'm fine. Sorry. Just a bit tired,_ I scribbled back, folding it into a triangle and passing it to him.

He quickly smoothed it out, reading it and raising an eyebrow at me. I shrugged, trying to turn my focus back to the lesson. However, my mind wouldn't stop wandering to the previous day.

The Sohmas lived in a large estate that was, from what I had seen, pretty much empty. Or that's what it looked like, at least. The gardens were kept neat, the porches were swept clean, and it was obvious that the family was pretty well-off, but I hadn't see a single person wandering around the enormous place. Hatori had interrupted Shigure the moment he mentioned their family head. What kind of person was he? What sort of family did the cousins belong to? My preoccupied mind kept on churning out ludicrous theories. Maybe they were a mafia family. Or criminals. Or celebrities of some sort.

Well, I guess it was time to find out the truth.


	6. A Lack of Explanations

Hatori's POV

Shigure slicked back his hair for what seemed like the umpteenth time, striking in a pose in the mirror of the boy's bathroom. "Well? How do I look?"

I folded my arms across my chest. "I just don't see why you're making such a big deal out of this."

"Don't be so  _rude_ ," he chided, poking me playfully in the ribs. "You still have to get them to like you."

"And why is that?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

He gave me a mysterious smile. "No reason."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're hiding something from me?" I eyed him warily, my suspicions only deepening when he let out a laugh, shooting his own reflection a goofy grin. Abandoning my efforts to wheedle anything out of Shigure, I only sighed, following him out of the bathroom and to the outer gates, where we were to meet up with Ayame and Fujikawa.

Less than a block away from our destination, Shigure popped into a quaint florist's shop and emerged with a paper-wrapped bouquet of pink carnations.

"What did you do that for?" Fujikawa looked skeptically at the flowers.

"Just as a courtesy, of course. Your mother must be the loveliest woman, inviting three strangers into her home," Shigure replied, seemingly oblivious to the discomfort on her face. "I thought I'd get her something to express my gratitude!"

She was looking thoroughly harassed by this point. "Ah, yes. Quite."

We approached her house, and for the first time since the three of us had ever known her, she opened the gate to let us in, leading us down her yard to the entrance of her home. She rang the doorbell, shifting anxiously from foot to foot as we all waited with bated breath.

Not a moment later, a middle-aged women with gray streaks in her hair flung open the door, her warm brown eyes lighting up at the sight of us. "You three must be the Sohmas. It's so nice to finally meet you!"

I nodded curtly, reaching out to shake her hand. "It was our pleasure, Hamasaki-san."

"Oh, none of that- just call me Reiko!" she insisted, flushing as Shigure offered her the bouquet of flowers. "Oh, you're too kind, my dear!"

Reiko barely gave us the chance to take our shoes off before ushering us into the kitchen, where a meal was already waiting. A girl who couldn't have been older than twelve or thirteen was already seated at the table, her chestnut hair tied up in a messy ponytail. Upon catching wind of the commotion, she turned her head, grinning to reveal a mouthful of braces.  "You're the Sohmas, aren't you? Nee-chan talks about you guys all the time!"

"I so do not," Fujikawa hissed, reaching over to swat the back of her head. "And this is Kiyomi, the little brat."

"Hey!" Kiyomi protested, sticking her tongue out at her stepsister.

"Kiyomi, your dinner is upstairs." Reiko pulled a chair out, waving for us to sit down. "We don't have enough seats at the table for everyone, and I'd really like to properly talk to Sukochi's friends, so-"

"Meanie," she huffed, louching out of the dining room.

"Thank God that's over with," Sukochi mumbled, earning a snicker from Ayame and a sharp look from her mother.

Reiko picked up a toddler with a startling resemblance to Sukochi and placed him in a high-chair. "And this our little baby, Haku." He cooed at the sound of his own name, drool pooling at the corner of his mouth. She wiped it away with a napkin and planted an affectionate kiss to the top of his head, before plunging into the cutlery drawer and taking out five pairs of chopsticks. "My husband has to work late today, so he might not make it in time for dinner. Anyways, he's very grateful for the kindness you've shown Sukochi."

Humming under her breath, she picked a nearby teapot, pouring a stream of green tea into ceramic cups that had been set at the table. "Go ahead and help yourselves, boys."

I tentatively picked up a gyoza, plopping it into my mouth and savoring the taste of savory minced pork. From what I could tell from just that, her mother was obviously a talented cook- almost as good as the ones we kept in the estate. I glanced at Fujikawa, who hadn't spoken a word since we arrived at her house, quietly nibbling at her own food.

"So, Reiko-san, what do you do for a living?" Shigure asked, swallowing a spicy eggplant dish with gusto.

"Oh, I just do some part-time work in real estate. Nothing too exciting," Reiko laughed, waving a dismissive hand. "But the life of some old lady shouldn't interest you- I want to hear about you three. Tell me about yourselves!"

Shigure, as enthusiastic as he usually was, began to tell the story of when a flock of angry geese chased him out of their territory after he'd tried to closer look at a a chick. Reiko laughed, listening intently as he recounted with misty eyes how they had chased him for a full ten minutes before relenting, returning to their nesting place besides the lake.

Still nothing from Fujikawa.

"-so what about you, Hatori-kun? Anything interesting about yourself?"

I put down my chopsticks and dabbed at my mouth with a napkin. "Well, I've just started applying to colleges. I'd like to go to either Kyoto or Osaka University, and after that, I'll probably study at medical school and get my degree. I'm planning on becoming the family doctor."

"Wow, your friend's very ambitious, Sukochi!" Reiko laughed, reaching over to ruffle her daughter's hair. "So, what do you mean by family doctor, Hatori?"

Shigure shot me "the look," but I ignored him, pausing to craft an appropriate response. "The old family doctor recently passed away, and I was chosen to take his place. Our family head is quite ill, and I've done my best to take care of him since, but there's only so much I can do without a degree. He tends not to trust doctors from outside the family, and I've always been interested in medical practices, so he decided that the job would be a good fit for me."

"What's Fujikawa-chan planning to do in the future?" Shigure asked Reiko eagerly, a strange gleam in his eyes. I narrowed my eyes at him, my suspicions returning full force; I had a funny feeling that this had been in his plan all along.

"Well, I wouldn't know," Reiko replied, nervously sliding her silver wedding band up and down her ring finger. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Fujikawa didn't even look up from her tea cup. "I like writing, so I'll just be a journalist or something like that. Nothing too exciting."

"Well, speaking of Fujikawa-chan's future," Shigure piped up, "I'd like to talk to you about the incident two nights ago."

Fujikawa's head snapped up in surprise. Before any of us could properly react, Shigure was sitting up straight, lacing his fingers together. "I'd like an explanation of what happened, if you wouldn't mind."

The smile practically wilted off of her face. "I'm afraid that's a personal matter, Shigure," Reiko said drily, any trace of her previous warmth completely gone, "one that doesn't concern you in the least."

"Well, ma'am, I beg to differ," Shigure said mildly, seeming to revel in her discomfort. "We found her, didn't we? We brought her to our house and made sure she was safe. Forgive me for my rudeness, Reiko-san, but that's more than you've done. I think we have a right to know what happened that night. As a sign of your gratitude, of course."

"Sukochi and I got into a little argument, that's all," Reiko replied, managing a thin-lipped smile. "We've gotten over it, so there's nothing to worry about."

"So, tell me, Reiko-san, how long has this sort of thing been going on in this family?" Shigure cut her off, picking up steam. Now that he was on roll, there was no stopping him anymore. "What if she's left home before to sleep on a park bench and we weren't there to stop her? Why haven't you been doing anything to help her? Didn't you send someone to look for her after she disappeared?"

"I just wanted to give her some time to cool off," she said hurriedly, clearly flustered by his nonstop questions.

"What kind of excuse is that?" Shigure shot back, outraged. "Your daughter could have gotten in serious trouble, Reiko-san."

"That's enough, Shigure-kun," Reiko said sternly, slapping her hand to the table. "I will not let a teenage boy tell me how to raise my daughter. You've got some nerve, barging in here and telling me you know her better than I do."

"Do you really know her, Reiko-san?" Shigure asked softly, keeping his gaze level with hers.

"So...what are you going to do about it, Shigure-kun?" Reiko glanced away, unnerved. "I'm doing what I think is best for Sukochi, and-"

"You said something about letting her cool off, right? Well, this might just be me, but I don't really think a park bench is the place to do it," he said wryly, tapping a chopstick against his lip. "I have a proposal for you, Reiko-san: let Fujikawa-chan live with us for a while. There's a guest bedroom in our house, and we'd be happy to let her stay for as long as she needs. Our family head wouldn't mind, and I promise that we'll take care of her. How does that sound?"

I froze. 'Our family head wouldn't mind?' We weren't supposed to be friends with a girl in the first place, and now he wanted to bring one home to live with us? At the estate? Where the risk of our secret being let out was a thousand times worse? Was he  _insane_? "Shigure, I don't-"

He sent me a sharp look. "Like I said, she'll be safe with us."

I glanced at Fujikawa. Her mouth was open, and her lips were moving soundlessly like a fish out of water. I couldn't blame her, of course; to be honest, I felt the exact same way.

Reiko swallowed back a gulp, turning to Fujikawa placing a hand on top of hers. "Is this what you want, Sukochi? Would you be happier with them?"

I wanted desperately to stop this, laugh it off and chide Shigure for his ridiculous sense of humor, but what would I say? How could I possibly explain himself? I couldn't tell them about the curse, or how Akito would go on a rampage if she found out we'd invited a girl to our house.

I was running out of time, and still, I was drawing a blank.

_Please, Fujikawa, I'm begging you: say no._

Fujikawa, still looking stunned, nodded slowly.

Reiko looked forlornly down at her half-finished bowl of noodles. "If that's what you want, dear...I won't stop you. I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything to help you."

Shigure smiled smugly, leaning over to give Fujikawa's hand a squeeze. "Excellent. Well, the four of us have a test to study for tomorrow, so we'd better get going soon. You better grab some stuff from your room, Fujikawa-chan. We'll be back to pick the rest of it up tomorrow."

Reiko seemed far away as he grabbed Fujikawa's arm and tugged her up the stairs. Five awkward minutes later, the two returned, carrying a cardboard box bursting with clothes and books. Shigure gave the still-dazed Reiko a kind smile. "Thank you for the dinner, Reiko-san. It really was a pleasure to meet you."

Fujikawa and her mother didn't seem to find the words to say goodbye to one another, so after we bowed to Reiko and thanked her once again for the delicious meal, we left the house, Fujikawa in tow.

Shigure was humming softly as we walked back in the direction of the estate, ambling across the street without a care in the world.

"I think I deserve an explanation for this," I hissed into his ear, but all he did was smirk.  _Later_ , he mouthed, before turning back to Fujikawa and engaging her in a primarily one-sided conversation. 

I'd gotten the three of us out of some pretty horrific situations before, but this? This one really took the cake.

I smacked a hand to my forehead.  _Lord help us all._


	7. Changes

Hatori's POV

I watched her, leaning my chin against my palm as she slept soundly on the futon couch, her eyelashes fluttering with the steady rhythm of her breathing. Mumbling incoherently in her sleep, she rolled over and buried her face into the blankets.

There was a loud rustle from behind me. Shigure was watching me from the staircase, his lips curled in a smirk. "She's an interesting girl, huh?"

"Why did you do that?" I whispered. "Fujikawa will be even worse-off if stays here. Akito could do anything to her when we're not here, especially since we didn't even ask for her permission. Bringing her home for one night was already crossing the line."

"You worry too much, Ha'ri," he chuckled, running his fingers through his dark hair. "It'll all work out. I'll convince Akito. She'll put the blame on me, yell at me, maybe throw a couple of things. She won't think it's your fault."

"That's not the problem here," I argued, biting at my bottom lip. "I don't really care about what she does to me or you or Ayame. We can handle it. We've been handling it for seventeen years. It's Fujikawa I'm worried about."

"Oh?" Another insufferable smirk. "That's a first."

"Now isn't the time for wisecracks," I snapped. "If you really wanted to protect her, you would have left her where she belongs. And that's with her parents. She's dealt with it for five years, Shigure."

"Yeah, dealt with it without anyone giving a damn," Shigure shot back, finally losing his composure. "Christ, Hatori, can't you just give it a rest? I said that it would be fine, didn't I? We can talk to Akito. Fujikawa doesn't know about the curse yet, so what's the harm?"

"Fine. But we talk to Akito first thing tomorrow morning. Keeping secrets from her is never a good thing," I conceded wearily. "Deal?"

"Whatever you say, Hatori." Shigure let out a yawn and stretching his arms above his head. "Let's just call it a night, okay? I'm exhausted." He padded up the stairs, his footsteps heavy and loud, leaving me and Fujikawa alone in the living room. I'd already lost track of the time when a loud knock brought me back to my senses.

An elderly woman was bowing to me from the doorway, tendrils of her flyaway gray hair slipping out of her bun. "I apologize for disturbing you at this late hour, Sohma-san, but Akito-sama requested that I bring you to him. He says it's urgent."

I swallowed back a gulp, hoping that the surprise didn't show on my face. I bowed to the woman, keeping my expression as blank as possible- a trick I had learned could very well save your life in the Sohma household. "Thank you, ma'am. Tell Akito-sama that I'll be there in a moment." Watching as she glided across the courtyard and entered the main house, I grabbed my cellphone out of my pocket and sent Shigure a quick text message. _going 2 akito's. make sure f is ok._

Heart pounding, I began to make my way to Akito's residence, a million thoughts swirling around in my head. I knew bringing her back was a bad idea. I shouldn't have listened to Shigure. I should have seen this coming. What was Akito going to say to me? What move was she going to make next?

Was I going to have to erase her memories and lose the only friend I had ever made outside of the Sohma family?

It really was selfish, I knew it was. But then again, weren't we all?

I pushed aside the beaded curtain, holding my breath to keep from breathing in hte incense. The room was nearly dark, illuminated by only a couple of dimly lit candles. As was customary of the household, I fell to my knees, bending over until I felt the cool ridges of the tatami press into my forehead. "Good evening, Akito-sama."

"Hello, Hatori." She sounded amused, perhaps a little peeved. "At ease, my good fellow." As per her request, I straightened, holding my hands carefully in my lap as I kneeled before her. Her eyes were veiled by her scraggly bangs, her frail body disappearing n a baggy purple kimono. A smirk teased her cracked lips. "How are you today?"

"Just fine, Akito-sama," I murmured, struggling to remain impassive. "And you?

"Just fine, Hatori," Akito mimicked. Uncomfortable silence filled the cool, dark air.

"How's the girl?" she finally asked, leering at me. I quickly looked away. It was ridiculous, I knew, to live in fear of a girl who had barely turned ten. As much as I feared her, the dragon inside of me encouraged me to kiss her feet, declare my undying loyalty to her, do the exact opposite of what the real Hatori Sohma wanted. My mind throbbed, a war between instinct and reason, and I bit back a cry of pain. "What, did you honestly believe that I didn't know? Foolish boy."

Akito cleared her throat and gave me a sugar-sweet smile- possibly even more terrifying than her scowls. "So is she a nice girl? Is she so brilliant that you directly disobeyed my orders and befriended her? Am I not good enough for you? Is that it, Hatori?" Her pupils dilated, reflecting the golden candlelight, and hysteria slipped into her cold, slithering voice. "And now she's living with you three. Whose idea was that? Was it you? Or was it Shigure? Ayame? Tell me, Hatori.  _Tell me_."

She grabbed my chin, pulling me so close to her that I could inhale the traces of her jasmine perfume, so close that I could see every little detail on her face. The freckle on her chin. Her hollow cheeks. Long black eyelashes. Our proximity repulsed and fascinated me at the same time; I needed to kiss her, I needed to run away.

I wanted to scream.

"It was me," I fibbed. "I asked her if she wanted to live with us. It was me."

She released me, sitting back onto her heels and regarding me solemnly. "You disobeyed my orders, Hatori, but I suppose that there isn't much I can do about it. As a punishment, I'd like to ask you some questions."

 It was a better reaction than I had expected. This was calm by her standards. This I could deal with.

"What's her name?"

"Sukochi Fujikawa."

"How old is she?"

"Sixteen. Seventeen in a few months."

"Does she know about our...little secret?"

"No."

Empty silence. She traced her fingers across my cheeks, brushing her palm against my forehead. Her touch prompted a shiver to run up and down my spine, and the places where her hand touched still tingled, like my skin was clamoring for her touch. "If you're lying to me, Hatori, you  _will_  pay the price."

I shook my head, praying that she believed me.

"Alright." Akito gently took hold of my hand, speaking in that same perilously soft voice, "You were supposed to love me, Hatori. Only me. I am your God and you are forever my servant. That's the way that it will be for the rest of eternity. My loyal, obedient slave, Hatori Sohma.

"So...what shall I do now? I can't allow you three to escape me. And I'm confident that you won't. Our bond goes deeper than mere love. As soon as you try to leave, your soul will pull you right back, right into my embrace. Your blood sings for my touch, for my voice. Isn't that right, Hatori? A simple human girl isn't enough to break that sacred bond, to take you away from me. But perhaps it will. Perhaps it won't." She released my hand and yanked a daisy out of a ceramic vase, plucking the petals off one by one. "So I'm going to perform a little experiment. To test your loyalty to me. Care you hear what it is?"

"Yes, Akito-sama," I murmured. _Don't show weakness, don't you dare give her that satisfaction._

"I'm going to let this little girl stay here. You are not to tell her that I'm aware of her existence. Do you understand?" I nodded hurriedly. "Wonderful. She's going to find out about our little abnormality, and she's going to think you three are liars and monsters, and she's going to leave you in the end. That's what always happens. Usually. Perhaps. Maybe she'll be different, maybe she won't."

I gazed at the tiny petals on the mat, so helpless and pathetic.

"All of you slaves seem to be getting rather restless lately," Akito drawled. "So I think I have to reinforce the lesson: we can't survive alongside normal humans. You're supposed to love me, no other. I'm the only person who can ever truly understand your suffering. You seem to be forgetting that. Hm? So I'll let you keep your little pet, this Sukochi Fujikawa. We'll play a little game, too, to see how long it takes for her to break your heart and leave you hanging." She laughed, a chilling laugh that left me cold. "You're dismissed. Sleep well, my darling."

I bowed to her once more and clambered to my feet, stepping into the cool night air. Before I could close the curtain completely behind me, however, I heard a soft rustle and a harsh whisper. "Akito-sama. I have something to tell you."

My interest piqued, I crouched down, straining to hear their words.

"Yes, Kotomi? What is it?" Akito demanded.

"I'm not sure if this is a coincidence, but...I believe we have connections with the girl's father."

"Really? Do we now?" Akito's voice had taken on a knife-sharp edge. "Please continue."

"He served Akira-sama about fifteen years ago, before quitting to start his own business. I believe he's a distant cousin of ours. Katashi Fujikawa. Your father thought very highly of him."

"Fujikawa is a fairly common name." Akito sounded skeptical, but I could detect the thinly veiled giddiness in her voice. "Are you positive that she's his daughter?"

"He mentioned having a young daughter named Sukochi. I'm certain that he's her father. I'll look further into it if you like, Akito-sama."

"No, you've done enough, Kotomi. Thank you. I'd like you to find this man, wherever he is. He can't have moved that far away from here. Yes. I believe we have his contact information in the records? Yes. Excellent. I'd like to have a good word with him. Tell him that Akito Sohma, the son of his old master, has something very important to tell him. If he isn't motivated, tell him that I have his daughter at my disposal."

I stood up as quietly as possible, hoping that my footsteps didn't disturb the creaky wooden porch, before taking off, sneakers pounding against the dewy grass. Once I'd returned, Shigure slid open the door to our house, his eyes wide as saucers. "Well? What happened?"

"Akito gave us permission for her to stay," I relayed, between gasps, "but she's planning to use Fujikawa to test our loyalty to her."

Shigure nodded hurriedly, glancing behind him to where she was still sleeping soundly. "So what are we going to do about it?"

"We're going to have to be more careful than ever. We can't let her find out about the curse, otherwise we're going to have to tell Akito. I'm not sure that she'll let Fujikawa stay here after that, but who can say? That's not the end of it, though- her father used to serve Akira-sama." Shigure gasped, but I ignored him. "She asked Kotomi-san to contact him and get him back here. I'm not sure what she's planning to do wiht him, but it can't be good."

He nodded again. All that could be heard was the swish of the night breeze and the chirping of cicadas in the trees.

"It's funny. We're doing this all for some girl," I noted, realizing how bizarre the situation actually was. "Does she really mean this much to us? We're risking everything."

Shigure laughed grimly. "Well, maybe it's time things changed."


	8. Apologies

Sukochi's POV

"Since it's the weekend and we have some free time, let's make a homemade lunch!" Shigure declared, standing up and scattering papers all over the carpet in the midst of his Eureka moment.

I yawned from my place on the futon couch, idly flipping through my textbook pages and squinting to make sense of the minuscule print. "Okay, sure...go ahead."

Hatori barely glanced up from his laptop. "Do we even have the ingredients to make something nice?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Precisely," he said. "Let's just stick with take-out."

"There  _is_  such thing as a supermarket, you know," Ayame countered, fiercely defensive of his best friend.

"Yes, you're a genius, Aya!" Shigure trilled, eyes lighting up as he bounded to the doorway, slipping into his shoes. "Come on, guys! Onward, my friends- to the supermarket we go!"

"Seriously?" I groaned, glancing down to gaze longingly at my comfortable shirt and oversized pants. "Um, how about this? You three go, and I just stay here and laze around?"

"Nonsense!" Ayame swatted my shoulder, giving me a stern look. "Those who don't work don't eat. Up you go, young lady!"

"Since when?" I whined, yelping in pain as he yanked me up, practically dragging me towards the door until I finally surrendered. "Okay, okay,  _fine._  I'll go to the goddamn supermarket. Just let me get some real clothes on, okay?"

He eyed me warily, but released me, watching as I headed upstairs and into my new bedroom. I opened the closet door with a creak, grabbing a panda t-shirt, a windbreaker, and a pair of jeans.

Living with them was okay, I guess. I never felt stressed like I did with my parents, knowing that if I walked downstairs I'd find them laughing and joking around. We never really got into any fights with each other, and just as an extra precaution, we'd even created a schedule for chores. They weren't total slobs or anything, so the house stayed clean and I was able to live in a decent bedroom.

"Alright, bitches," I clapped my hands, joining them at the foot of the staircase, "are we doing this or what?"

It was a chilly day, cloudy and unpleasantly gray, and I could feel the cool mist skimming my exposed skin. What with the shitty weather, we were the only ones outside at the moment.

Cue the ominous rumble of thunder. I shivered. "Um...wouldn't it be better if we just stayed inside and got take-out from somewhere?"

"Oh, come on, Fujikawa-chan! Don't be such a sissy!" Shigure said heartily, giving me a playful swat on the shoulder. "A little rain never hurt anyone. Besids, what's the point of living without a bit of adventure? And doesn't homemade sukiyaki sound like the greatest thing ever?"

The prospect of sukiyaki  _did_  sound awesome. If there was one thing I missed about living with my mom, it was her amazing cooking. "Okay, okay, you got me," I grumbled, shoving my hands into my pockets. "So, what's the plan? What do we need?

"Hm..." Shigure thought about it for a moment, tapping a finger against his chin. "Well, I'm pretty sure that we still have some stuff from our last trip, so all we'd need is some Wagyu, shiitake, Wagyu fat, and...water cress! Yup, that sounds just about right!"

"Hey, Shigure," Ayame said loudly, elbowing his friend in the ribs. "Why don't we split up into pairs so the shopping doesn't take too long?"

"That's a fantastic idea, Aya!" Shigure clapped his hands together, a maniac glimmer in his eyes. "Hey, Aya, why don't the two of us pair up?"

"I'm not even going to ask what's going on," Hatori muttered his breath. I couldn't help but agree.

_But wait._

"If you guys are gonna be together...I have to be partners with this guy! No way in hell!" I protested, jabbing a finger in his disgruntled face. "Seriously?"

"I'm flattered, Fujikawa," Hatori said, looking visibly miffed.

The thought of being alone with him sort of made me anxious, given that he still seemed to hold back around me and watch me whenever he thought I wasn't looking. I couldn't help but feel that he just barely tolerated me in my house, that he only kept me under his roof to humor Shigure and Ayame.

"Why, of course you do!" Shigure declared. "What other choice do you have, Fujikawa-chan?"

"So what are we going to buy from the lovely supermarket, Shigure?" Ayame chimed in, linking arms with him.

"Hm...how about we get the shiitake and the watercress while the two of them get the Wagyu stuff?"

"That sounds like a great idea! Let's go!" The two of them exchanged not-so-discreet grins, and without further ado, went off skipping towards the supermarket.

"Wait-" I held my hand out to stop them, but to no avail. Heaving a sigh, I shook my head. "Those idiots."

No response from the mute, just as expected. Resigning myself to my fate, I fell into step with him, glancing at him from time to time. Was I supposed talk first? Was that even fair?

"They're trying to get us to talk to each other," he said quietly.

 "Well, yeah. An idiot could've told you as much," I huffed, and hesitated. "Well...um, so what are you going to do about it?  _Are_  you going to talk to me?"

"Okay, sure." He pondered that for a moment. "How did you do on that essay?"

 _That_  was his magnum opus? "Not bad, I guess," I said carefully. "You?"

"It was easy."

"Um...sure. Whatever you say." So much for initiating conversation.

We entered the supermarket, greeted not-so-warmly by the stench of decaying vegetables and day-old fish. I shivered at the sudden wave of frigidness, wrapping my hoodie tighter around my body and taking in the sight of the grocery store. The displays of fruits were buzzing with flies, prices and names written in green marker on a whiteboard. The light fixtures above us were dim, mud-streaked, and in desperate need of replacement, the crumbling walls in a similar state of disrepair.

Stepping over a piece of grimy cardboard, Hatori grabbed a fire engine red basket and scanned the aisles.

"Anything wrong?" I cocked my head to the side.

"No." A small shake of his head. "I was just trying to see if I could spot Shigure and Ayame. Knowing them, they probably got distracted by the sweets."

When I couldn't find the words to respond, he wordlessly grabbed a sheet of pink paper that detailed that weekend's sale and walked briskly towards the meat section of the market. I let out a huff of frustration -being the most talkative person was  _so_  weird- before hurrying in order to keep up with his ridiculously fast pace.

Damn his long legs. I was almost out of breath when I finally caught up to him.

He stopped abruptly as we neared the meat selection, and I almost bumped up to them. I followed his line of vision, to a completely empty space where piles of half-priced beef strips should have been.

Fantastic. Just fucking fantastic.

"Well, at least they have Wagyu fat," I said weakly, hefting the package in my hand. "Should we try somewhere else? We should probably tell them where we're going.

"I'll just send them a text." He sifted through his pockets and pulled out his cellphone, tapping a few characters into it and snapping it closed. "Okay, let's check out now."

Without giving me a proper break to catch my breath, he strode towards the cash register, his face entirely passive.

Sheesh, when did I become such a pushover?

Ignoring the cashier's attempts to flirt with him, he only greeted her politely, shoving the package into a plastic bag the moment the transaction was completed. Without so much as another word, he was out of the building, leaving me to shoot the baffled cashier an apologetic look and rush after him.

"So do you know another place where we can get the beef?" I panted, finally catching up to him.

"Yeah, it's not far enough. It might take a little while to walk there, so we should hurry up." Hurry up? We were walking about a million kilometers an hour as it was. "I told Shigure and Ayame that I'd meet them at home by 11:45."

Seeming sure of himself, Hatori made a sharp left, his shoes making soft scuffling noise against the cracked pavement. Not daring to tell him to slow down, I struggled to keep up, positive that I was going to drop dead of a heart attack in less than three seconds.

Suddenly, a raindrop landed on my face, and then another and another another. Pretty soon, my entire face was soaked with the wet droplets.

Despite our attempts to suck it up and keep moving, it got harder and harder to ignore the fact that it was now flat-out pouring. The torrent raindrops beat down us relentlessly, to the point where it was a struggle to see even a meter in front of me.

I pulled my hood over my head in an attempt to shield myself from some of the rain. "Sohma! Do you have an umbrella?"

He shook his head, his dark hair already drenched. "We should probably find a place to take cover."

"Sounds like a plan," I shouted over the din, instinctively reaching for his hand and making a break for the nearest building. Our feet sloshed loudly in the puddles, splashing muddy waters into our shoes, but we somehow managed to push through, bursting through the door just as a rumble of thunder shook the earth.

A ramen shop, and a crowded one no less. Shouldering our way through the crowd, our fingers still tightly intertwined, we finally managed to squeeze ourselves into a dusty booth that still wasn't completely clean; greasy spoons, bits of noodle, and what looked like beef broth still littered the table's surface.

I shuddered, grateful for the shop's warmth, pulling my hood down and shaking off my windbreaker. "Damn that Shigure for getting us into this."

Hatori didn't reply, only regarded me silently.

"Well?" I threw him an expectant look. "Aren't we forgetting something here?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, wiping the rain off of his face with his sleeve.

"God, you're insufferable." I heaved a sigh. "Aren't you going to buy me a bowl of ramen?"

His gaze flickered lazily to me. "Since when was  _this_  part of the plan?"

"Getting stuck here wasn't part of the plan, dumbass. But since it happened, and I happen to be as hungry as hell...you should probably do the gentlemanly thing and get me a bowl of ramen." I gestured to the harassed-looking cooks, who were hastily throwing spices and broths into a pot of simmering noodles.

"Don't you have money on you?" he countered. "I don't see why we have to impose gender roles in this situation."

I rolled my eyes. Was this really the time to be all smart aleck with me? "Stop being a cheap-ass and buy me some goddamn ramen."

Shaking his head, he reluctantly stood up and made his way to the end of the incredibly long line in front of the counter, where a woman was spooning noodles into plastic bowls with inhumane accuracy. The place was buzzing with the voices of about thirty other people, and I closed my eyes, immersing myself in the chaos.

Ah, it was so warm, filled with the aroma of chicken and cilantro, something warm and homey. It was so comfortable that I was on the verge of dozing off, my head drooping nearer and nearer to the table's surface.

"Your Highness?" Hatori said, snapping his fingers in front of my face to draw my attention. "Your meal has arrived."

"Thank you for your service, slave." I jolted back to my senses,,smacking my lips at the sight of the steaming bowl of ramen in front of me. "Actually, for legal purposes I'll just call you my servant."

" _Women_ ," I vaguely heard him grumble under his breath.

I smirked, slurping up the noodles. "Got a problem with us? You know, I've noticed something interesting about you. Unlike your crazy-ass cousins, you really aren't into girls. I mean, are your hormones are incredibly out-of-whack or something?"

"My hormones are fine, thank you very much," Hatori said curtly, wrinkling his nose as he watched me inhale my food. Judgmental much? "It's not like I'm not into girls. It's just that we aren't allowed to date right now, so it's sort of pointless to think about. I don't waste energy if I can help it."

"It's just that every guy in our class would kill to be you. Do you realize how many girls are in love with me? Apparently Namikawa wants to leave you a love letter," I remarked, watching closely for his reaction.

"I've rejected plenty of people before," he said nonchalantly, shrugging. "But anyways, my family comes before everything else. The head of my family doesn't want me to be distracted, so that's that. No dating for me."

"Well, who says that you have to do what he tells you to?" I said off-handedly, swallowing a mouthful of broth.

He froze, his eyes widening like I'd said something totally profound. A wisp of a smile graced his lips, but he quickly turned away, glancing out the window. "It looks like the rain's pretty much stopped, so we should probably hurry home before they start to worry. Come on."

I wiped my mouth with a napkin and tossed the bowl into the garbage can, completely forgetting about the Wagyu as I followed him out of the shop.

And this time, he had the sense to slow down.


	9. Misfortunes

Third Person POV

A balding man in a brown overcoat stood before the cold metal gates of the Sohma estate, a place that he hadn't seen for more than fifteen years. After his daughter and son had been born, he had chosen to resign from his post (a feat that was easier said than done) to have time to raise his children.

And now that he was called back, he didn't know what to think of it.

Akira-sama had passed away in the time he had been gone, leaving nothing but a gray headstone in a grassy corner of the estate. And in his place was his heir, ten-year-old Akito Sohma, who had told him that he required his assistance, and that his daughter was in the family's custody.

 _His daughter_. He shuddered, chills running up and down his spine. How long had it been since he left? Five or six years?

His ex-wife and her new family were constantly moving around the country, so whenever he managed to get ahold of their new address and contact them, his letters were always returned. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quash the memory of her, couldn't stop missing her. He missed the feeling of his calloused fingers threading through her silky black hair, missed the thrill of playing chess with her on those cold winter nights, missed hearing her bubbly laugh.

The thought of his former employers doing anything to her terrified him. And so, almost reflexively, he had taken two weeks off from work and traveled to the Sohma estate with nothing else in mind.

The gates swung open, welcoming him inside. He clenched his jaw and gingerly stepped inside, his dark eyes surveying the all-too-familiar courtyard. It had been fifteen years, yet nothing had changed; entering almost gave the illusion of stepping back in time, of leaving reality for an imaginary fantasy land.

If only it were that pleasant.

An attendant wearing a blue kimono approached him. "Katashi Fujikawa, I presume?"

He nodded stiffly. The woman bowed to him, gesturing with a frail arm to the stone path that cut straight through the traditionally-styled buildings. "This way, Fujikawa-san." Leading him through the labyrinthine pathways, he soon found himself in front of the grand house where the head of the family always resided. Inhaling deeply, he wet his chapped lips and ascended the stairs, listening to the wooden floorboards creaking under his feet.

Katashi knocked on the screen door, a tinny voice soon calling out, "Come in!"

He slid it open, pushing past the beaded curtain. A young child sat on the mats, surrounded by a semi-circle dimly-lit candles. He was scarily frail, dark circles ringing his onyx eyes that shined with a devious glint Katashi had never seen in someone so young. 

"What have you done with my daughter?" Katashi croaked.

"My, my, so hasty. I would have expected at least a proper introduction." Akito clucked his tongue, folding his hands in his lap. "I am your former master's son, after all. How have you been, Fujikawa-san?"

"You didn't answer the question," he repeated, hands clenching into fists.

Akito grinned impishly, waving a dismissive hand. "Worry not, my good man. I've done nothing to your little girl. I may have stretched the truth a teensy bit in that regard. She's not exactly in my custody, but living with three of my dearest cousins. You remember Hatori, Shigure, and Ayame, don't you?"

Katashi gaped at him. "You sent them to a normal high school?"

"It is only an experiment," Akito said airily. "I only wanted to test their loyalty to me and teach them that the outside world isn't as wonderful as they believe. But, alas, my little kits are acting out, as teenagers often do. What was I to do when they deliberately disobeyed my orders, befriended your beloved daughter, and even had the audacity to bring her to live in our estate? I knew that it was the perfect opportunity."

"Well, what do you want  _me_  for?" Katashi spat out.

"It's simple. All I want is for you to tail your daughter for the next two months and give me detailed reports on her activity," Akito said mildly, leaning forward and resting his chin on his palm. "Ooh, I almost forgot...remember what I said about me not doing anything to your daughter? Well, if you refuse to cooperate with me...how to put this? Hm, let's just say that that might not be guaranteed anymore."

 _That little devil,_ Katashi thought viciously.  _This is Akira-sama's son?_

"Fine," he choked out. "I'll do it."

Akito smiled at him. "Thank you, Fujikawa-san. I knew I could count on you."

Katashi hesitated. "But will I be able to see her?" he blurted. "After you're finished with me, I mean."

Akito ought about it for a moment, before nodding, his lips curling into a little smirk. "Indeed. That will be our bargain. You gather intel on your darling daughter for me, and in time, perhaps we can arrange a little visit. Any more questions, Fujikawa-san?"

He shook his head.

"Excellent. You are dismissed."

 

Sukochi's POV 

"Today, we're going to conduct an experiment commonly known as 'elephant's toothpaste'," Minami-sensei announced, pacing around in front of her desk, her high heels clacking on the tiled floor of the science lab.

"Hey, other animals care about dental hygiene, too," Shigure whispered not-so-discreetly to Ayame.

The teacher sent a sharp look in their direction, effectively shutting them up. "As I was saying, the product of this rather simple experiment is the result of a chemical reaction, which creates a rapid expansion of foam. This experiment has the potential to be dangerous, so please follow instructions and don't try anything funny." I could have sworn that she was looking straight at me. "Line up at the counter and grab your gloves and goggles. We wouldn't want you all going blind, now."

As the rest of the class paired off, Hatori and I wound up alone, standing awkwardly by the counter.

"Partners?" I offered, and he nodded. Without looking one another in the eye, we headed for the last empty work station.

"Okay, first, measure one hundred milliliters of the hydrogen peroxide using your glass beakers," Minami-sensei instructed, writing the steps onto the chalkboard.

Furrowing my brow in concentration, I lifted up the bottle, painstakingly pouring the substance into a beaker. Meticulously following her detailed instructions, we dumped the hydrogen peroxide into the graduated cylinder and added the detergent, ten drops of food coloring, dry yeast, and lukewarm water. Taking a step back, we watched as a jet of magenta foam erupted out of the cylinder, pouring out of the container with a satisfying  _whoosh_.

Just as I was about to congratulate myself, however, the foam began to drip off the counter, splattering onto the floor.

"Shit," I mumbled, grabbing a paper towel and bending over to clean up the mess we'd made. Being the klutz I was however, my foot caught into the puddle of magenta foam, sending me catapulting right into Hatori. Instinctively, I tugged on his shirt and pulled him closer to me, but despite my valiant efforts, the two of us toppled to the ground with a loud thud.

"Oh my god, I'm so-"

_Pop!_

A puff of smoke rose into the air, veiling the two of us.

I grabbed for him, but my hands only felt fabric. The fabric of Hatori's uniform, to be specific.

And lying on top of the collared shirt was...a tiny seahorse, barely the size of my index finger. In place of Hatori, who was nowhere to be seen- the boy who had been helping me dump detergent and hydrogen peroxide into a graduated cylinder less than two minutes ago. And so, there could only be one conclusion.

He was a seahorse. Hatori had transformed into a fucking seahorse right before my very eyes.

No way could this be real. No way could this be happening.

By this time, our classmates had begun to notice the commotion, struggling to peer through the thick haze.

I shot a helpless look at Shigure and Ayame working nearby, who exchanged a worried look and propmtly leapt into action. Shigure searched frantically around the room, before catching sight of a labeled glass vial from the next desk over. Wrapped tightly around it, a smeared and crumpled hand-written label read: "highly dangerous chemicals- do not touch without adult supervision."

Disregarding these instructions, he smashed the vial onto the ground, releasing a rusty orange mushroom cloud that quickly permeated the air with its acrid stench. My classmates coughed and buried their mouths into their sleeves, waving the toxic gas away from their faces, yelling words that were inaudible over the din.

"Evacuate! Evacuate!" I vaguely heard Minami-sensei shout over the scuffling of my classmates' footsteps. "Everyone, out!"

Amidst the chaos, I continued to gape at the twitching seahorse, at a loss for what to do. Suddenly, a harsh voice whispered in my ear, "What are you doing? Do you  _want_  him to die? Just hurry up and go to the bathroom!"

I blinked, still in shock."What-"

"Just go!"

I swallowed back a gulp and nodded tersely, scooping up seahorse Hatori and his bunched-up clothes. Braving the poisonous smoke, I stumbled my way to the back of the room, feeling for the handle. Fumbling with it for a moment, I just barely managed to fling the door open, inhaling in the clean air with wheezy gulps.

After reassuring myself that the coast was clear, as the period was only half over and most students were still holed up in their classrooms, I hurried towards the girls' bathroom, hesitating for a moment. Was it okay for me to bring him in there? It  _was_  a girl's toilet, after all.

To hell with it. I'd done crazier things.

Bursting into a stall, I unfurled the bundle of clothes and flung seahorse Hatori into the toilet bowl, cringing at the squelching splash. I peered anxiously over the edge, breathing a sigh of relief as he bobbed to the surface and began to breath.

A horrible thought suddenly occured to me. Could a seahorse even survive in dirty sewage water?

Then again, where was I supposed to find saltwater before he suffocated? I'd just have to hope for the best.

"Um, well...I guess I'll just leave this here," I said, leaving his clothes on the bathroom floor and slipping out of the stall. "You're going to go back to normal...right?" No response, of course. Silly me.

I scooted back, easing myself into a sitting position against the wall. "You know, it's not everyday that you see your lab partner randomly transform into a seahorse. Honestly, I don't know what to make of it. But...do you want to know something, Sohma? I haven't been so happy since...god, I don't even know when. Even if it doesn't seem like it...I like you guys. Honestly. You never treated me like I was a freak. You stuck with me even through all everything. And all I want to know is...why didn't you tell me?"

_Pop!_

Hatori grunted, his bare legs just visible in the gap between the stall door and the floor. "You don't understand," he said, brimming with a sort of quiet anger.

"What's there to understand?" I crumpled my hand into a fist. "You turn into a seahorse. Sure, it's really weird and I'm still super freaked out, but this doesn't have to change anything. I mean, who gives a damn?"

"I'm sure you had the same mentality back when we met," he said, his voice tinged with the slightest edge of venom. "Would you mind getting me some paper towels? I'm soaked."

I passed him an entire grainy roll from beneath the stall. "Things change, Sohma. You know my secrets- every last one. Why can't I know yours? We say we're friends, but...do I really know anything about you?"

As insufferable as always, he parried my question with one of his own. "So you aren't gonna run away?"

"Of course I'm not gonna run away. Where would I even go?" I scoffed. "Yeah, you guys are sort of a pain sometimes, but I don't mind it at all. I mean, I get free food and a nice room and get to see you guys all the time, right?"

Silence.

I heaved a sigh. "So...are you gonna explain this to me or not? You know that this isn't something that I'm just gonna slide."

He hesitated. "Ever since ancient times...fourteen members of the Sohma family have been cursed by the spirits of the zodiac. The twelve animals, the cat, and our god."

The zodiac? A seahorse was always said to be a tiny dragon, so...didn't that make all the more sense?

"So, it's not just you? Shigure and Ayame, too?"

"Them, too. Basically, we transform whenever we're hugged by girls," he said, and I could almost hear the frown in his voice. "Even people in our family don't know about it, much less outsiders like you."

Like me. My gut flared in anger at the thought of being an outsider again.

"And that's why you guys don't have girlfriends. Because if they tried to hug you, your secret would be exposed, right?" I mused.

"We fought like hell to go to a regular high school," Hatori added. "And once we'd gotten that, we were ordered to stay as far away from girls as possible."

"Well, look at how well  _that_  turned out," I quipped. No wonder Hatori had been so against me living with them; welcoming me into their home meant putting their secret at risk. Sitting there, I couldn't help but wonder why they did it all for me.

He stepped out of the stall, swiping at his damp hair with a paper towel. Striding past me and avoiding eye contact, he hesitated just before opening the door. "It's best if we don't let anyone know you know," he warned, pursing his lips when I opened my mouth to protest. "Trust me, Fujikawa."

I frowned at him, tugging at the back of his shirt. "I still get the feeling that you're hiding something, Sohma."

He shrugged me off. "We should probably start heading back before Minami-sensei gets worried."

I sighed, huffing at the sight of his retreating back.

Why did I have such bad luck in picking friends?


	10. Revelations

Hatori's POV

I sat at my desk, hunched over my English textbook and mumbling sentence after sentence under my breath, committing each nonsensical phrase to memory. Before I could turn the page and continue reading the next passage, however, there was an urgent knock on my door.

"Come in." I turned around in my chair, raising an eyebrow at Shigure. Something had to be wrong; he usually didn't wait for my permission to waltz into my room uninvited and kick his smelly feet on top of my bedcovers. "What is it?"

'Someone's here to see you," he said, uncharacteristically somber, jutting his thumb towards the stairs.

Swallowing back my urge to panic (years and years of holding my tongue in the presence of Akito had trained me well in this aspect), I calmly rose to my feet, giving Shigure a curt nod and shuffling to the door. Just as expected, Kotomi was waiting there, her hands folded across her midnight blue kimono. "Good evening, Sohma-san."

"Hello," I replied, inclining my head in a polite bow. "What brings you here at this hour, ma'am?"

"Akito-sama wishes to speak with you," she said solemnly, and lowered her voice, "and the _girl_." She hissed the word as if it were taboo, synonymous with the plague.

I was mad at myself for getting complacent, for believing that if I was careful enough, I could go on with the way I was living- like I was on vacation, like I could escape from her, even just for a little while. Of course all efforts to keep this from her would fail; our family had spies and look-outs stationed all over the place- who was I to rule out the possibility of one being at school? I'd been foolish to think for a moment that this could last forever.

So I'd braced myself for this, spent sleepless nights playing out every possible scenario, but nothing could have prepared me for the real thing.

"We'll be there as soon as possible," I said flatly.

Kotomi made a low, sweeping bow, before melting back into the darkness, the soft fabric of her kimono trailing after her.

Our lives had seemed so normal, living in the company of a completely ordinary girl. What would I do if that comfort disappeared? Fujikawa still believed the curse was adorably embarrassing, a harmless secret we just didn't want the general public to find out. What would she do if she found out the truth?

"Sohma? Is something wrong?" Fujikawa asked, peering out of the kitchen.

But I couldn't hide anymore. If I dragged this out, who knew what she would do?

"The head of our house wishes to speak with you," I said softly.

She was by my side in an instant, a hand on my shoulder. "Sohma-" Fujikawa faltered, before plastering on a strained smile. "Well, this day was gonna come any day now, right? Better get over sooner than later. We'll be just fine, I'm sure of it." If anything, she was trying to reassure herself more than me.

I cleared my throat. "Ready when you are."

 

I tapped on the screen door. "Akito-sama?"

"Come in!"

Settling my shoulders, I pushed past the curtain of beads, and together, we faced her.

Akito was sitting cross-legged in the center of the room, surrounded by her circle of candles, her hands clasped together in what could have been prayer. The light cast eerie shadows across her face, illuminating the hollows of her cheekbones, the heaviness beneath her eye sockets. She was so weary, so worn, practically disappearing into the folds of her kimono- sitting there, tiny and frail, I almost pitied her.

Fujikawa froze besides me.  _Monster_ , I could hear her think.

_Well, you're not wrong._

"Hello, Hatori. It's good to see you again," Akito said mildly, before turning to Fujikawa. "And you must be Sukochi Fujikawa. You're a very pretty girl, my dear."

Fujikawa merely nodded, casting her eyes towards the ground.

"Kneel down before me, girl," Akito ordered, pointing to the spot in front of her. When Fujikawa stayed resolutely in place, she put on a sickly sweet smile, hissing, "I said _kneel_."

"Akito-sama," I warned, starting forward, but I was silenced by a wave of her hand.

"Quiet, Hatori," she snapped, her pupils dilating. "I told the girl to kneel, didn't I? Why is she still standing?"

Fujikawa sent me a distressed look, but obliged, much to relief. Raising her head and keeping an unwavering gaze on Akito, she sank to the floor, her teeth gritted and jaw clenched in something that looked a little like defiance. Any sign of fear had disappeared, replaced by smoldering eyes and parted lips.  _Hit me with your best shot,_ she seemed to challenge.

Akito, her face twisted in an ugly grimace of rage, lunged for Fujikawa's neck, tilting her head up. "Yes, yes, very beautiful, indeed. I can see why they chose you," she crooned, reveling in Fujikawa's strangled growls of protest. "Oh, you poor little thing. So innocent. So fragile." Her fingers tightened around Fujikawa's throat, turning her face a sickly purple.

I reached out for her. "Akito-sama, please-"

Akito rolled her eyes, but relented, shoving her back towards me.

Fujikawa took in a wheezy breath, massaging her neck. "Who _are_  you?" she snarled.

Akito began to laugh uncontrollably, clutching her stomach as she doubled over. "Me? I'm the god of the Sohma family! Their creator! The one they'll always obey! Me, me, me!" She sat back up, wiping the froth off of the corner of her mouth, and grinned maniacally at me "Isn't that right, Hatori? The thirteen of you, all my slaves. Mine, mine, mine."

Her eyes widened. "Tell me she's lying," Fujikawa begged, and I looked away. "Please, Sohma, _please_."

"What, you don't know the entire story?" Akito giggled. "Foolish girl. From the moment they were born, they were all destined to be my slaves. To serve me and love me and stay by my side forever and always. Me, their beloved god, the one that will accept them when all others turn away. That was their fate, sealed by the monsters inside of them.

"Yes, that's what we are, Sukochi! Monsters! Monsters that can never be accepted by fools like you!" she jeered, jabbing a finger in Fujikawa's face. "You thought you were different than the rest, didn't you? Better, even? Wrong, wrong, wrong! You will never understand what we are, never understand the pain of being a curse."

"Stop," I mumbled, but Akito ignored me.

"Not so high and mighty now, are you?" she taunted, a malicious grin dancing its way to her face. "Planning to run away while you can? Don't be ashamed, sweetie- they all do, in the end."

"You're wrong," Fujikawa mumbled.

I was taken aback. She was bold and a little outspoken, sure, but was she honestly willing to challenge someone who had nearly choked her to death? Did her recklessness extend that far?

No, not recklessness.

Courage.

Akito's lips curled into a smirk. "Oh, really? Tell me how I'm wrong."

Fujikawa clenched her jaw. "I'm not gonna run away. Sohma asked me the same question, and I told him that I was gonna stay! Not even you can change that. Do you think I'm scared?" When Akito didn't reply, she let out a bark of shaky laughter. "Well, you're wrong! I'm not the same stupid girl they met two months ago. I'm not gonna give up anymore! I-" Fujikawa faltered, and laughed bitterly. "Run away, my ass. What do you know about me?"

Akito looked amused. "Oh? Your tenacity is admirable, but...you still don't know the full story do you? What we do to little outsiders like you who stick their noses into business that doesn't concern them?"

I froze. Please Akito, please. Don't tell her that. Anything but that.

She leaned forward, a mysterious look of glee alighting her face, the one I'd see before she went berserk, breaking porcelain vases and battering me with her bruised knuckles. The calm before the storm. "We erase their memories," she whispered. "Want to know who does the deed?"

"No, Akito-sama," I whispered.

But her smile only deepened "Yes, your very own friend, Hatori Sohma. Do you know the story, Sukochi?" When Fujikawa ever-so-slightly shook her head, Akito sat back on her heels, continuing, "Every generation, there is a man who is granted the gift of hypnosis, passed down from father to son in Hatori's bloodline. Just as you'd expect, his father had this power. Most unfortunately, however, he passed away not too long ago."

She mock pouted, yanking a flower out of a nearby bottle and twirling it between her fingers. "Such a pity. He was a handsome man. Fortunately, Hatori has not only inherited his good looks, but also his extraordinary abilities. And so, when anyone stumbles upon our secret..." she drifted off ominously, watching the horrified look spread on her face with pure malice. "I think you can guess what happens next."

Akito reached out to stroke Fujikawa's temple, using the back of her hand to push the stringy hair out of her face. Without looking up to meet Akito's eyes, Fujikawa spat, "So is that what you're going to do with me? Screw with my mind like the coward you are?"

She scowled, her hand leaving Fujikawa's face and falling back to her side. Akito cocked her head to the side, appearing more bemused than angry. "You  _are_ an interesting one. No wonder they seem so...entranced by you." She turned to me, smiling coyly at me. "So, Hatori.  _Will_  you erase her memories? I'll leave it up to you."

My eyes widened in surprise. She was giving me a choice?

But maybe if I did erase her memories, I'd protect myself. Shigure and Ayame, too. We could go on living the way we used to- restrained and wearing those fake smiles for the public, pretending like our lives trapped in the Sohma estate were more than glorified imprisonment. Without Fujikawa, our lives would be less complicated. Without her, we'd go on serving Akito, pretending like we were her loyal lapdogs, licking at her slippers for a treat or two.

But no. I was sick of running away. Sick of turning my cheek when my younger cousins were hurt, shunted to the side, leaving the main house with bruises and scrapes. Sick of pretending like I didn't have a mind of my own, like I existed to fulfill Akito's twisted whims, touch my fingers to their temples and watch those memories fade away.

I shook my head.

"Very well then," Akito chirped, giving us a closed-eyed smile. "You are dismissed. It was a pleasure to meet you, Sukochi."

Bowing to Akito once more, I grabbed Fujikawa's hand and tugged her outside. She remained eerily quiet during our walk back home, seemingly immersed in a deep, unshakeable reverie. I shot her pointed stares from time to time, but she refused to even acknowledge me, her eyes cast down at the pebbles littering the walkway.

Shigure ran to the door the moment we returned, breathing heavily. "What happened?"

When he saw the somber look on her face, his face fell. "She knew, didn't she?"

I murmured in assent, and he nodded, turning back to her. "Fujikawa-chan-"

"So, that's the truth about the curse, isn't it?" she spat, hands curling into fists at her sides. "You guys only exist to love him, right? And you don't have other choice but to be his _slaves_."

Shigure winced. "Well, when you put it like _that-"_

"And you're okay with that?" she demanded, voice a little crackly, glowering when he didn't immediately reply. "I said, are you okay with that?" Her eyes blazed with pure, unadulterated fury, her fingers twitching as if she wanted nothing more than to punch the nearest wall.

I reached for her. "You have to calm down."

"No, I'm not gonna calm down!" Fujikawa shrieked, stomping her foot and shoving me away. "He called you his slaves. He treated you like you were worthless. And you don't even care?"

"Yes, of course we care, but-"

"No matter what he says to you, you're still gonna be Mr. Polite? You're gonna nod and mutter that yes, you'll do this, you'll do that. You're the one who taught me to do my own thing. To do what I wanted, no matter what anyone else said." A sob wracked her body, and she fell to the ground, whispering, "You damn hypocrites. You were lying to me this entire time."

I crouched down besides her, holding her gaze. "What are you going to do now, Fujikawa?"

"Who the hell do you think I am, some kind of coward? I'm through with that." She laughed humorlessly. "Your curse? He says that it lasts forever. To hell with that! Nothing lasts forever. So your damn god better watch out, because things are changing today!"

I pulled her closer to me, pressing a hand to her forehead. Why hadn't I noticed before? "You're burning up, Fujikawa. You don't know what you're saying."

Her breathing was ragged, uneven. "No, you're wrong. I mean it. Everything I said- it's true."

"Don't strain yourself. You're delirious." Frowning, I carefully lowered her onto the futon. "Please, don't talk."

As she lay sprawled on the ground, her gaze glassy and far-away, her lips moved to form a single, hoarse word. " _Hatori_."

My name. I felt a pang of guilt in my stomach. Such familiarity and coziness in this house, its empty rooms and pockets filled with signs of _her._ Her spice deodorant, her dog-eared textbooks, her hoodies and t-shirts and jeans. It was the first time I'd considered a real home, a sanctuary, an anchor in our turbulent lives.

And one girl was enough to change me? To lower my guard and get me to hope for the first time in my life?

But things were going to change. I saw that in her eyes.

We had a long road ahead of us, but I had a feeling that things just might turn out okay.


	11. Exceptions

Sukochi's POV

A couple of days after the incident, I was thinking that Hatori just might have been right.

I had no fucking idea what I was saying when I was delirious with fever and started spouting crap about how I'd break the curse, yada yada yada.

Because, honestly, did I expect myself to miraculously find a book entitled "Breaking Ancient Japanese Curses 101?"

If even Shigure and Ayame and Hatori didn't even have the slightest clue of how to get rid of it, how the hell was I supposed to find something that would be the least bit useful? I wasn't special in any way shape or form- really, I was just a normal girl, one who had no idea how to help her friends.

Where did the curse come from, anyways? I practically flipped the entire house upside down for some documentation of when and where and why and how the curse originated, but you know what?

There was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

And it pissed me off to no end.

But most importantly:

My friends could turn into animals.

They actually did. I wasn't kidding. If I went up to Hatori right now and hugged him, he would transform. Same with Ayame or Shigure or the other male members of their family I hadn't even met yet.

There. I said it. One step closer to accepting that this was actually real life and not some psychedelic hallucination my brain had somehow cooked up.

After combing through the house's "library" for what seemed like the millionth time, my mind swimming with unintelligible letters and numbers, I trudged back to my room and flopped onto my bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling

Despite everything, I had to at least help them do something about the curse. It was the least I could do, considering how much all they had done to help me- taking me out of hell itself, helping me move on, allowing me to live with them.

I knew wasn't like me to get this worked up over something. But this time, things were different. Something in my gut told me I had to do this. There was a mission, and I would stop at nothing to accomplish it.

But that didn't change the fact that I knew virtually nothing about the Sohma family.

Someone rapped sharply on my door. I bolted up, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear and wiping a dribble of drool off the corner of my mouth. "Come in!" I called out maybe a little too hastily.

It was Hatori. "Good morning," he said quietly, lingering near the doorway.

"Hey." I gave him a weary smile, patting the spot on the bed besides me. "Why do you look so stiff? Come, sit down."

He gave a jerky nod and gingerly eased himself down onto my bed, his body angled towards mine. "You're famous now," he said, fingering the frayed edge of my blanket.

"Seriously?" I raised an eyebrow. "Whatever for? I don't think I've done anything particularly remarkable."

Hatori wrinkled his nose at me. "Are you kidding? You're living us, and you know about the curse? That's practically unheard of." He hesitated, lowering his voice. "The younger ones really think that things are going to change."

"Who says they're not?" I scoffed, glowering at him. "If all you're gonna do is rain on my parade, you might as well just get out of here."

"Not so hasty. I'm actually here on official business." The corners of his lips upturned in a slight smile. "Someone wants to meet you. I'm only here to relay the message."

"Oh, really?" My curiosity was piqued. "who is it?"

He handed me an old photograph. In it, a middle-aged man smiled serenely at me, his hair and eyes matching shades of silver. Not bad-looking, either- seriously, was  _everyone_  in this family genetically predisposed to hotness or something? Totally unfair.

Hatori gently pried the picture from my grasp. "Kazuma Sohma, owner of the Sohma family dojo."

"Cursed?"

He shook his head. "He's related to some people who were, though."

Related to formerly cursed Sohmas? Was it possible that this man knew more about the curse than Hatori?

"I can tell you're hiding something from me," I said, leaning forward and giving him a playful poke on the tip of his nose. "Spill it, you."

He sighed, swatting my hand away. "Alright, fine. He's also the foster father of the current cat: Kyo Sohma."

As much as the rest of the cursed family members liked to complain, Hatori had explained to me, not one of them had it as bad as the cat.

"Foster father?" I echoed, casting my eyes down towards my lap. "What happened?"

"Family issues. After his mother passed away, he and his father couldn't piece things back together, so Kazuma-san decided to take him in and declared that he would train him to be the best martial artist the family had ever seen." Hatori gave me one of his trademark wry, sort-of-smiles.

It was weirdly similar to my own story. "Do you know him very well?" I asked, tentative.

"Kyo? Not really," he replied, faintly amused. "I see him on occasion, but he doesn't seem to like me very much. As matter of fact, the only person he really likes is Kazuma-san."

We lapsed into a moment of long, drawn-out silence.

"Well, doesn't  _that_  puts ten times the pressure on me?" I grumbled, swinging my legs over my bed and slipping my feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers. "Fine. Be down in ten."

 

Hatori rapped his knuckles against the fusuma. "Kazuma-san?"

The screen door slid open, revealing a slightly older version of the man in the photograph. Kazuma Sohma smiled graciously, inclining his head towards me. "Sukochi Fujikawa, I presume?" His voice had a certain soothing inflection to it, calm and light and pleasant.

Something about the warm glimmer in his eyes calmed me down, allowed the tension to bleed out of my shoulders. I followed immediately when he beckoned me inside, gesturing to a small table in the center of the sitting room. "Why don't we all take a seat? A nice chat and a cup of tea would do all of us a world of good."

Kazuma sat down opposite to us, easing himself down on the wooden mat. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Fujikawa-san," he chirped. "I haven't heard anything that wasn't about you for the past three weeks!"

"Um, wow," I laughed sheepishly, "that's really something. I mean, who knew, right?"

"No need to be modest, my dear," he chortled, pouring stream of green tea into each of our cups. "After all, it's not everyday that Akito-sama allows an outsider to live with us. You must really be something special."

That word again.  _Outside_ r.

I bit my lip, picking up my cup and gingerly sipping the scalding-hot tea.

"What do you think of it?" he said mildly.

"The curse?" I pondered this for a moment. What  _did_  I think of it? "I'm still in shock, and I'm not sure if I've completely accepted it yet...but I'm okay with it, I guess."

"Well, you've had a more favorable reaction to it than most people. Hatori can tell you that much," Kazuma said lightly, nodding in his direction. "What  _I'm_  interested in is how you managed to find out. Those three are far more careful with keeping their secret than most."

I winced at the memory, tossing seahorse Hatori into a toilet bowl and galore. "Um, well, it's a bit of a funny story-"

"Never mind that," Hatori cut me off, lowering his cup back on the table with a loud clatter. "What _I_  want to know is how Akito-sama found out that she knew."

Kazuma pursed his lips, forehead crinkling. "Your guess is as good as mine, Hatori. But you know Akito-sama- he has connections everywhere, and could easily have set anyone to tail you four. I'll try to keep my ears open, but-" he faltered, tilting his head to the side giving Hatori a concerned look. "Is there something wrong?"

I turned my head, shocked to see a look of genuine surprise on his face. "Fujikawa," he said suddenly, eyes widening.

"Yeah? What is it?" I waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello? Hatori?"

He snapped out of his trance at the sound of his name, quickly recomposing himself. "Please go on," he said primly, giving a little clearing of his throat. "It was nothing."

Kazuma didn't seem to believe him, but dropped it. "Well, as I was saying, I'll try to keep my ears open for any news." Opening his mouth once more, presumably to ask another question, a loud scuffle from the hallway stopped him. He pressed a finger to his mouth and signaled for us to stay quiet, before turning around. "Kyo? Is that you? Why don't you come out and say hello to our guests?"

Grumbling under his breath, a young boy stepped out of the shadows. I could tell he was the cat; his hair was a tangled mess of the brightest carrot-orange I had ever seen, and there was a distinct feline quality to his topaz eyes. There was a murderous glint in his stare, vaguely predatory, his wickedly sharp teeth bared in a snarl.

"Good morning, Kyo-kun," Hatori said, seemingly oblivious to the venom in the boy's eyes. "You've grown since last I saw you. How's your training?"

Ignoring him, he turned to Kazuma. "Do you have any milk?"

Kazuma gave him a stern look. "Manners, Kyo. Hatori-san is only trying to be polite."

Kyo rolled his eyes. "It's fine."

"That's good to know," Hatori replied, not unkindly.

"Now, Kyo." Kazuma grabbed Kyo by the shoulder to prevent him from scurrying away, pointing at me. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself to this nice girl here? She's the one everyone's been talking about, remember?"

Kyo narrowed his eyes, carefully scrutinizing me. "So this is her?" he said, looking vastly unimpressed. "The one Haru said was amazing? She doesn't seem all that great to me."

"Kyo!" Kazuma chided, appalled.

"No, um, it's okay," I assured him, barely stifling my laughter. "I'm really not that great, so it's good that he's honest. It's an important quality for kids these days, you know?" Holding a hand out to him, I gave him the most genuine smile I could muster. "Hey. It's nice to meet you. I'm Sukochi Fujikawa."

Kyo stuck his tongue out at me. "I just wanna know why everyone likes you so much. You know about the curse? So what? It could have been anyone else."

It struck me that, in any other situation, I would have strangled the kid by then. So why didn't I? What held me back?

"It's not like you actually like us or anything," he continued. "The only reason you're being all nice and is 'cause, not 'cause you actually  _care_. You don't know a thing about us. You're just a stupid girl, and that's all you'll ever be!"

Before Kazuma could react, Kyo landed a solid punch to my face, leaving an angry red mark.

Fingers trembling, I raised my hand to touch it, more shocked than anything. Who knew that such a tiny kid could punch so hard?

Seriously. It hurt like hell.

He spat in my general direction, before flouncing off into the hallway, his fists clenched at his sides. Hatori frowned at his retreating figure, finally shaking his head and turning back to me. "Are you alright? That seemed rather painful." He gently pried my tense fingers off of the weal, prodding it with the tip of his index finger.

Kazuma was visibly shaken. Taking a moment to recompose himself, he placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm terribly sorry for that. I assure you, he isn't always this rude."

I cupped my cheek with a grimace. "Nah, believe it or not, I'm not really mad. I was the same at his age."

"Would you like some ice?" Kazuma asked, clambering to his feet and whisking into the kitchen when I nodded. "I'll be back in a moment."

This, inevitably, left Hatori and me alone for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

"I thought you would have been angrier than that," he remarked, after a beat of silence. "If Shigure punched you, you would probably be planning some sort of diabolical scheme for vengeance."

"Oh, come on, like that little wuss would dare do that to me!" I scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "And what kind of girl do you think I am? You think I'd really hurt a kid? And besides, what he said wasn't totally wrong- I really don't understand you guys."

Kazuma reappeared, and I accepted his proffered ice pack gratefully, clutching it to my cheek, the refreshing cold numbing the still-pulsing pain.

Even as I sighed in relief and leaned back to sit on my heels, I couldn't stop thinking about Kyo.

Unforgiving eyes. Pessimistic attitude. Explosive temper.

Goddammit, he was just like me.

I stood up abruptly, still holding the ice to my face. Hatori and Kazuma shot me quizzical looks, but ignoring them, I asked, "Sorry, but there's something I gotta do. Kazuma-san, can you tell me where Kyo's room is?"

"Down the hall," he replied, his lips pulled taut. "If you're trying to talk to him, I don't think-"

"No, I'm positive I can do it!" I reassured him, stubborn as always. "Just leave it to me!"

"Oh, I have no doubt that you can," he smiled knowingly, jutting his chin at the ceiling. "But if you want to find Kyo, he'll probably be up on the roof."

I gaped at him. But cats, high places- well, I supposed that it made some sort of sense. "Okay...um, how am I supposed to get up there?"

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Kazuma asked, brow furrowed in concern. "Kyo is the cat, after all, and he's probably a lot more...agile than you. If you can't stand heights, it might be a little difficult for you."

I shook my head insistently. There was no way that I was letting him evade me. "No. I think I can manage."

Hatori touched my arm. "Fujikawa-"

"No. This is just something I have to do," I said firmly, brushing his hand off and turning back to the man. "Please, Kazuma-san. How can I get onto the roof?"

Kazuma hesitated, before nodding, albeit reluctantly. "Take the staircase to the second floor. There's a hatch that leads to the attic. Once you get up there, look closely and you'll find a trapdoor. Open it, and there's Kyo's hiding place." He closed his eyes. "Please be careful."

I nodded gratefully, throwing my ice pack back onto the table. "Thank you, Kazuma-san!"

My heart pounding, I sprinted down the hallway and up the stairs, a thrill rushing up and down in my spine. When I reached the top, I lost my footing for a moment, my socks skidding against the slick wooden floors until U managed to regain my balance, scanning the deserted floor before me. Tilting my head up, I surveyed the ceiling and, searching for the hatch. Nothing, nothing...there it was!

I reached forward as far as my short, stubby arms would allow, standing on tip-toe to grasp the rusty handle. Just as I was about to give up, it swung open with a loud squeal, spraying wood chips and dust in my face. Fending off the attack, I braced my hands in front of my face and squeezed my eyes shut. When I tentatively opened them again, the dust had already cleared away, a ladder at my feet.

Catching my breath, I plucked up the courage and climbed up, finding myself in the midst of a dank storage room; the only light came from a dimly lit bulb hanging above my head and the still-open hatch. Maneuvering past messily stacked boxes, I ran my hand against the unpainted wood of the ceiling, feeling for another handle. Upon finding it, I pulled it towards me, revealing a square of bright blue sky. In aburst of triumphant energy, I clambered up, and was swamped by a wave of dizzying horror.

Was I really that high up? I could even make out the bare outline of Kaibara High from here.

Breathing deeply to steel myself, I rose up to a crouch, keeping my eyes determinedly fixed on the roof tiles rather than what lay below.

_Don't look down, Sukochi. Don't you fucking look down._

And, after a good few seconds of trying not to panic, I finally spotted him, sitting just head with his legs dangling over the edge of the roof.

"Hey!" I called out, waving at him.

He whipped around at the sound of my voice, his eyes widening in surprise. When he realized who it was, however, he gave me a death glare reminiscent of my own. "What the hell are  _you_  doing here?"

"Language, language," I chided, shakily standing up and walking over to him. "I'm not trying to hurt you or anything, I promise."

"I don't need your help," he scoffed, his eyes darting to the spectacular landscape before us: the bustling city in the distance, the expanse of blooming gardens and rolling green lawns and squat little buildings that was the Sohma Estate. It really was incredible, almost mesmerizing enough to take my mind off of the fact that a little shove could send me tumbling off the roof.

"Nice view, huh?" I said conversationally, smiling at him. "I see why you like it up here."

When he didn't respond, I decided to get straight to the point. "Okay, okay, fine. All small talk aside, I just wanted to clear up any misunderstandings. I think you're a nice kid and want to get you know better, so I really don't want us to start on the wrong foot." I cleared my throat, a bit embarrassed with myself. Goddammit, Sukochi, stop it with the clichés. "So I'm just gonna start by saying this- what you said earlier was wrong."

Kyo continued to scowl, still refusing to look at me.

Okay, if that didn't a reaction out of him, what would? I cleared my throat, trying again. "You told me that I didn't understand how you felt, right? Well, maybe I do." I took a deep breath. "Hatori told me what happened with your mother. I'm really sorry, kid."

The boy gave me a sharp look, before growling, "What right does  _he_  have to tell you stuff like that?"

"Don't say that about him. Hatori cares about you," I admonished, before heaving a sigh. "Whatever. That's besides the point. What I was trying to say is that you're not the only one who's gone through something like that. Can I tell you a personal story, Kyo?"

He hesitated, but gave in eventually. Encouraged, I tentatively took a couple of steps forward and eased myself down besides him, sitting cross-legged on the edge of the roof. "Okay...I used to have a twin brother. Twins don't usually get along that well, but I loved him more than anything in the world.

And then one day...he was gone. Just like that. I was sick, and couldn't go to swim practice that day, so it was just him and my dad. And somehow, they got into a car accident on the way back, and...well, that was it. A part of me died that day. I couldn't stop wondering about what I'd done wrong."

I glanced back at Kyo. His face seemed to be frozen, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Good- my words were finally starting to have an effect on him. "My parents started getting into pretty crazy fights after that, to the point where they finally couldn't take it anymore and got a divorce. My dad left us one day, and I haven't heard from him since- no phone calls, no letters. I guess I was just a part of his life he didn't need, a reminder of what he'd lost. My mom moved on, too, married one of my dad's old friends, and now they have a kid, too. And because of all that...I've felt like I was some extra baggage from some part of her life she wanted to ditch completely.

"And that was when I met Hatori, Shigure, and Ayame." I smiled fondly at the memory. "I didn't like them at first, but they grew on me and we became friends. After finding out what was going on in my life, they let me live with them, and helped me get over pretty much everything. I'm so much happier now that it's almost hard to believe."

I wiped a tear away from my eyes. "So don't say that I don't get you, okay? I've gone through a lot too, and because a few people helped out a hopeless case like me, I'm where I am now. With you. I'm not here 'cause I pity you, or anyone else for that matter. I'm here because I owe Hatori, Shigure, and Ayame a lot and plan to do whatever I can to help them out. And that applies to the rest of your family, too."

Kyo seemed to be conflicted, his face flickering from apologetic to uncertain. I'm sorry for punching you," he muttered, flushing beet red."

"Oh, that?" I waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that you were able to practice some of your moves on a worthy opponent like me!"

He reluctantly cracked a grin. "Thank you, Sukochi-nee-chan."

My heart just about melted at that.

And, hey...do you remember when I said that the only person who was allowed to call me that was Daichi?

Well, I guess I could make an exception this time.


	12. Answers

Hatori's POV

Fujikawa…it all made sense now. That night, Akito had instructed her servant to find him for some reason, but hadn't specified what. Of course it had slipped my mind.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

But this was no time to get mad at myself- I had to think, piece together what was going on. As I saw it, Akito had contacted Fujikawa's father, convinced him to return to his former employer, and bullied him into tailing his own daughter. Somehow, he pieced together that Sukochi had found out about the curse, and followed up by reporting it to his new master.

And because of him, we were all in danger.

Right then and there, it clicked in my mind. Before I was fully conscious of what I was doing, I slipped into my sneakers and out the door. "I know you're there, Fujikawa-san," I said quietly, breathing in the muggy mid-July air. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to talk to you."

No response.

"Why did you do it?" I asked.

There was a rustle in a nearby bush.

"I need to know."

A lanky silhouette approached me. A beam of dim light shone from overhead, illuminating a pair of worn dress shoes.

"Can I trust you?" came a croak from the near darkness.

"Yes."

A hand gripped my shoulder, hot breath fanning across my ear. "Come with me."

I hesitated, but did as he said, still uncertain of whether or not I could trust him. It was risky, true, but if I could get what I needed to know from him, it would all be worth it. His hand never left my shoulder, guiding me towards the front gates, his foots pattering softly against the stone path. Once we had left the confines of the estate, he released me; a half-broken lamp lamppost cast dusty light across his face, giving me my first good look at Fujikawa's father.

Same long, thin nose, high cheekbones, almond eyes- the similarities were startling.

Katashi Fujikawa pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it, exhaling a shakily. A wisp of smoke billowed over to me.

"Why did you do it?" I said. "I know you don't care about her anymore, but-"

He laughed humorlessly. It was all too familiar- the sort of laugh my father would let out before sobbing into my shoulder. A derisive snort, a huff of denial. "Do you honestly think I had a choice? You think I was allowed to say 'no'?" Katashi grabbed onto the collar of my shirt and yanked me forward, snarling, "Why did you even bring her here? You know she's not safe here. You know what Akito is planning."

"I'm fully aware of that," I said coolly, but he brushed me off.

"Aren't you her friend? Don't you want to keep her safe?" he demanded.

"You're right, Fujikawa-san," I said calmly, prying his fingers off of my throat. "I brought her here, even while knowing the risks. And I'm sorry about that. But you have to understand, she's set on breaking the curse, and there's nothing anyone can do about it."

He chuckled bitterly, turning away from the light. "She's as stubborn as ever, it seems. Some things never change."

We lapsed into silence.

"Well, what are you planning to do now?" I asked, keeping my gaze level with his.

"Keep following her? I don't have a choice, I guess." Katashi closed his eyes. "Promise me you'll take care of her, Hatori. That's all I want."

"If that's what you want, you should just talk to her yourself," I said scathingly. "She needs to know the truth, Fujikawa-san. She deserves it."

I gave him a steely look, waiting.

And finally, he nodded.

 

"Know what you're going to say?" I muttered as we stood side by side, facing the house.

"Fuck, no." He shook his head, laughing shakily. "I can barely even  _breathe_. Looks like I'll have to wing it."

"Good luck," I managed, and pushed the fusuma aside. Just as he started forward, I motioned for him to stay put and stepped into the room, leaving my shoes by the doorway.

"Oh, you're back," came the casual greeting.

Fujikawa was lounging on the couch, flipping through the weekend newspaper. "What the hell were  _you_  up to this late at night?"

"Just getting some fresh air," I replied, feigning nonchalance, and turned to give Katashi a pointed look. "And I happened to run into someone who says that he knows you."

"Oh?" Fujikawa glanced up from the paper, her lips quirked upwards in a half-laugh, and her eyes fell on her father lingering in the doorway. Her jaw went slack.

Katashi coughed into his fist, lifting his hand up in a half-hearted wave. "Hello, Sukochi. It's nice to see you again."

I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't her murderous scowl, "Who the hell is  _this_  sleazy bastard? I have no fucking idea who he is," she seethed. "It seems like you've made a really big mistake, so I'd like to ask you to get him out of my sight.  _Right now."_

I raised an eyebrow at her. I'd figured she wasn't exactly going to welcome him with open arms, but really? "Fujikawa-"

"Don't 'Fujikawa' me!" she snapped, tossing her paper to the ground. "I meant what I said! I don't know this person, and I don't know why  _you_  know him either. I think it's time for him to leave."

Katashi was clearly bewildered, watching his daughter fume in silence. Taking a moment to brace himself, he strode forward and knelt besides her, tentatively reaching for her hand. Fujikawa recoiled from him, squeezing her eyes shut. "Please, Hatori, get him away from me," she whispered.

I didn't move a muscle.

"Hatori!" she repeated, through gritted teeth.

Nothing.

"Sukochi," Katashi faltered, hesitating. "I-I...I'm sorry."

"Is that really all you can say to me?" Her voice was barely above a hoarse whisper. "After leaving me alone with that woman, that's all you can say? You're 'sorry'?" A note of hysteria entered her face. "If you were so 'sorry', why didn't you come and take me away? Why didn't you call or send a letter or...anything? Why did you leave me behind?" He hesitantly placed a hand on her knee, but she slapped it away. "Don't touch me!"

I started forward, but she held a hand up, as if reading my mind. "It's okay, Hatori. It's okay."

"Your mother's new family was constantly moving around," Katashi said quietly. "I'd spend a year, year and a half looking for your new address, and by the time I found it, you were already gone. I called her, but she never picked up. I wanted to find you, Sukochi. I did. But I never could, and...I'm sorry."

Fujikawa clenched her jaw. "And...why are you here now?"

"I...well, I used to work here. For Akito's parents. I quit after you and Daichi were born and told them I didn't want anything to do with them again, but they found me like it was the easiest thing in the world. They told me to come here, and that if I didn't, they had my daughter and-" he faltered.

If she was surprised, she did a good job of hiding it. "Go on."

"So I came, and I starting tailing you." He swallowed back a gulp. "And...it was me. I told Akito you had found out about the curse. It's my fault that things are like this, and.. I'm sorry, Sukochi. About everything. About Daichi, about your mother- more sorry than you'll ever know."

She nodded curtly. "I understand."

He hesitated. "Sukochi, please. Leave this place. It's dangerous, Akito's planning something, and...even if you're unhappy back home, you'll be safe there. Please. For me."

Fujikawa scoffed. "Like I owe  _you_  anything anymore. You're the one who owed  _me_ an explanation, and now that that's over with...I have nothing to do with you anymore. You're not my dad. You're just some idiot who couldn't keep his family together and say sorry to his wife and you know, just- just man up for once! I'm not a little girl, _Fujikawa-san._ " She seemed to revel in his discomfort. "You have  _no_  right to tell me what to do. It's the Sohmas I owe, not you.

"Thanks for the apology, though. You're not as spineless as I thought you were." Jutting her chin in the direction of the door, she gave me a pointed look. " _Now_ will you get him to leave? I might puke if I have to see his stupid face for another minute."

"As you wish." Suppressing a reluctant smile, I yanked Katashi to his feet and guided him towards the door. "Thank you for the visit, Fujikawa-san. Your concern has been much appreciated."

"I hope I never see you again!" Fujikawa shouted, waving him away with goofy grin on her face.

Katashi glanced back at her forlornly, before shaking his head, hurrying out of the house without a second look.

She let out a huff of frustration once he had left, slumping back down in her seat. "Well, that was a lot more trouble than it was worth. I mean, what a loser! Pretending like he can tell me what to do. Who the hell does he think he is?"

I eased myself down besides her. "I'm not sure what I was thinking, but that definitely wasn't what I was expecting.

"Oh yeah?" Fujikawa raised an eyebrow at me. "What were you expecting, then?"

"Well, this may be irrational, but...I was hoping that you would make up."

She shrugged, staring blankly down at her lap. "I didn't think I had it in me either. I...I spent years imagining what would happen if he came back, and what I would do, what I would say, and trust me- it never, ever went like that."

"I don't find that hard to believe."

Her gaze was distant. "Yeah. They usually involved a lot of tears and hugs, but you know, I'm not really that sort of person. Neither is he, I guess. Maybe I realized that I didn't actually miss him that much, that he wasn't worth it, but I...still wanted some closure. I thought I deserved  _something_ , even a shitty apology. You get me?" I nodded. "Him leaving was like a really sucky cliffhanger, but it's over now. I can move on now."

"That's great," I said, and somehow, I really meant it.

Fujikawa shook her head, still in awe. "But...wow. I just feel so much better now. That was so much more satisfying than I thought it would be. Just...wow. It's hard to explain." She laughed sheepishly. "Sorry. You probably think I'm really weird now."

"It's fine," I assured her. "I've lived with Shigure and Ayame for my entire life. I think I've gotten my fair share of weird."

"Touché," she quipped, cracking a reluctant smile.

We fell into silence.

"What about the threat?" I asked. "From Akito, I mean."

"Come on, do you think I'm actually scared of him?" she huffed. "Hmph. I thought you knew me better than that, Hatori."

I didn't speak, only sneaking peeks at her impassive face every so often. The two of us sat side by side, hands just brushing against each other, for so long that I lost track of how much time had passed. She didn't say anything, didn't make a sound, but even so, I could tell we were thinking about the same thing.

An uncertain future, the outcome of which was shrouded in mystery. One neither of us could have ever expected- just like the courage and strength she found that day.


	13. Contemplations

Sukochi's POV

As the bell rung and hoards of prematurely packed-up students rushed out of the door, Shigure stretched in his seat besides mine and sighed dramatically. "Ah, sweet, sweet freedom."

"Not quite," I reminded him tiredly. "Test tomorrow?"

He made a strangled noise. "At least give me the luxury of one moment of peace. That's all I ask."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I sent a stack of textbooks falling neatly into my bag, slinging it over my shoulder and standing up. "Where are we meeting them again?"

"Near the tennis courts," he replied, already halfway out the door. "No cleaning duty for any of us today, so we-"

I felt a tap on my shoulder, turning around to find myself standing face-to-face with our literature teacher, Oshiro-sensei- a petite blonde who spoke Japanese with a thick American accent. "Sorry to bother you, Fujikawa-san."

"Not at all, sensei," I quickly assured her, ignoring Shigure's sharp looks. "Is something up?"

"Oh, nothing really. It's just...Minami-sensei would you like to see you in her office," she said, lowering her voice. "It's urgent."

"Um, okay. I'm on my way. Thanks for the message." I gave her a tight-lipped smile, whisking out of the door to join Shigure out in the hallway.

"What's up?" he asked, lips pursed in a little frown. "Has our Fujikawa-chan finally succumbed to her impending delinquency?

"Don't be smartass. It's nothing, really- just that Minami-sensei wants to see me." I flinched under his piercing scrutiny, his trademark look of doubt. "Okay, okay, fine, it's a pretty big deal. I don't think I've done anything wrong, but...I don't know. Even if I have, no biggie. I can deal with our demon of a homeroom teacher, right?"

Looking unimpressed, Shigure heaved a sigh. "Want me to wait for you?"

"Nah. I don't how long it'll take so...yeah. You guys go ahead." Clapping him on the shoulder, I turned right onto another hallway of classrooms and offices.

"Try not to die!" he shouted, sniggering and and sprinting the other direction, nearly tripping over his slacks and toppling into a gaggle of first-years in the process. I rolled my eyes, grinning to myself as I brushed my fingers against the frosted glass of the teacher's offices. "Yamaguchi, Watanabe, Yukimura, Ueda, Tsukuda, Nakahara...Minami!"

Pausing to take a deep breath, I finally mustered enough courage to knock on the door. "Minami-sensei? It's Fuji-"

It swung open almost immediately, my short, beady-eyed teacher standing with her taloned hand on the doorknob. She nodded sternly, beckoning for me to join her. High heels clacking ominously against the tiled floor, she eased herself down on her swivel chair and shuffled a set of papers around. "How are you today, Fujikawa?"

The way she was eyeing me, you would've thought that I'd desecrated the holy name of the periodic table. "Just fine, ma'am. And you?"

"I appreciate your attempts at small talk but I'm afraid that that is none of our concern today." She bent down and opened a drawer, pulling out a manilla envelope with my name printed on the front. "I called you here to discuss matters regarding you, and only you. Now, I must ask...do you recall a moment when I passed out your annual career forms?"

"Yes, sensei." I pictured the sheet of yellow paper crumpled at the bottom of my backpack.  _Well, fuck._

"Excellent. It appears that you are not mentally impaired," she said curtly. "Now, do you remember when I said you it was required of you to hand them in on the sixteenth of July?"

Oh God, I was  _so_  screwed. "Yes, sensei, but-"

"Every single one of your classmates has handed theirs in. If you have a reason for not making the deadline, I'd like to hear it," she cut me off, leaving me to shrink away from her piercing scrutiny. I could have sworn that her eyeballs were like knives cutting through me, examining the very depths of my soul.

I struggled to pull together a half-assed excuse for thirty seconds or so, before deeming my struggle futile. "It's...it's just that I don't know what to do."

Well, it  _was_ the truth: the reason why I procrastinated on the form for so long. It was pretty valid, really- my parents weren't exactly  _there_ to discuss my dreams of becoming a pretty fairy princess or an incredibly fashionable astronaut. Plus, I'd spent most of my life moping around instead of discovering talents like snorting up chocolate milk or tying cherry stalks with my tongue or whatever. The only thing that  _really_  came to mind at the word "future" was giving Akito a good smack in the face- which, I could safely say, was not what my school's administration was looking for.

Minami-sensei heaved a sigh. "Fujikawa, I believe that I speak on behalf of the entire faculty when I say this: I want all of my students to succeed. And in order for  _you_  to achieve, you must have an ambition to work towards- a starting point, if you will. Whether that be a limitation, something that requires effort from every fiber of your being to accomplish...there must be something you'd like to do with your life. Are you following me?"

I nodded, staring pointedly at my dress shoes. "Yes, ma'am."

She pulled out another copy of the career form and handed it to me. "I'd like you to think about your career, Fujikawa. You're perfectly capable of getting into most colleges, but only if you find the focus to do so. Kaibara High produces students worthy of inheriting the world- it is a reputation we've held since our founding, and we do not wish to tarnish it now. Do you follow?"

I reached behind me to slip the form into my backpack. "Yes, sensei."

She nodded, lacing her fingers together. "You're a talented girl, Fujikawa, and I have no desire to see you without any direction and purpose in life. Please think it over carefully and turn in the form within in a week, or I'm afraid I'll have to call up your parents." I swore I saw a smirk flit across her face. "You wouldn't like that, would you?"

Ladies and gentlemen, Hotaru Minami, otherwise known as the resident witch of Kaibara High.

 

"You're such an unfocused, directionless bitch, Fujikawa! You better find a goddamn career or I'm gonna have to squeal to your parents!" I mimicked in a falsetto, resisting the urge to pick up the nearest Chinese urn and smash it to the ground.

Shigure coughed delicately into his fist. "Okay, I know you don't want to talk to your parents, but-"

"Well, if that isn't the understatement of the fucking century," I cut him off, waving my cellphone in his face. "I've deleted every single text they've sent me."

"-you really,  _really_  don't want to talk to your parents, so all you're gonna have to do is find something you want to do!" he finished twice as fast, worried that I would interrupt him again.

"You say that, but it's not so easy, you know!" I groaned, collapsing rather ungracefully to the floor. "Ugh, how do you guys have your lives figured out so well? Hell, I don't even know what my  _weekend plans_  are."

"Neither do I, actually." He waved his hand airily. "Arcade on Saturday, perhaps?"

"You're on." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Do I sense a DDR rematch?"

"You so cheated on- um, okay, let's get back on track." Shigure gave a prissy clearing of his throat, straightening his abysmal posture. "Anyways, you should just think of something you like to do! Like, um, Hatori really liked slapping band-aids on everything in a 10-meter radius as kid, so naturally, he wants to pursue a career in medi-"

"What was that, Shigure?" Hatori's tired voice sounded from his upstairs room.

"Nothing, dear cousin!" he laughed sheepishly, lowering his voice. "Ayame is hopelessly infatuated with K-pop and anime cosplay, so he wants to design princess dresses for his entire life! You see, it's a perfectly natural impulse."

"Whoop-dee-doo." I scowled, tossing a throw pillow at him. "Oh, and just so you know...this isn't helping! Are you this bad at giving advice with everyone?"

"Okay, okay, I'll stop with the examples." He dodged the pillow, taking a seat besides me and patting me reassuringly on the shoulder. "Come on, Fujikawa-chan! There has to be something you're interested in! Sports? Music? Super-hacking?"

"I'm a jack-of-all-trades!" I insisted. "I'm like, um...the Hermes of high school failures. Yeah, that's it!" I felt a surge of panic. "Oh god what the hell am I gonna do if I talk to my parents I'm gonna explode and Minami-sensei that little fucker she'll-"

"Calm down, sweetheart. Daddy Shigure's figuring something out." He stroked his imaginary beard thoughtfully, and suddenly, his eyes lit up. "I've got it!"

"I'm not sure I want to know." I eyed him warily. The maniac glint in his eyes was sort of unnerving.

"Okay, so...you're a superstitious person, right?" he asked.

"It's hard not to be, since...well, you know." I motioned to him, and trailed off.

"Good! Well, I'm not sure if you've heard about this, but Kaibara High houses one of the awesomest legends in all of Japan." Shigure wiggled his fingers in my face, grinning. "They say he's an alien from another galaxy, sent to save the planet from blowing up! He's flunked the third-year about seven times in a row, so he's been here for a pretty long time. The guardian angel of Tokyo, they say. Isn't that exciting, Fujikawa-chan?"

Yes, three parts exciting and three million parts stupid. "Um, okay, but...what does this have anything to do with my future?"

"I'm getting to that!" He shushed me impatiently. "Anyways, everyone says he's a psychic that knows it all! I heard that, a few years ago, there was this super-depressed girl who came to him for advice like pretty much everyone else does and he told her she'd be really rich and pretty and famous and she'd marry this guy he randomly chose out from a list of all the male students in the school and now they've been married for five years and she's a supermodel!" He whipped a magazine out, flipping to a random page and showing me a picture of a tanned blonde in a skimpy bikini.

I swatted him away. "I _said_ I was superstitious, but-"

"If we can get him to tell you your future, you'll have everything settled! Just like that!" He snapped his fingers, undeterred. "It's absolutely foolproof, Fujikawa-chan!"

"Have you actually met him before?" I gave him a dubious look.

"Well, no, but-"

"Do you know if he even exists?"

"He was in last year's yearbook!"

"Okay then...where the hell am I supposed to find him, then?"

"Room 308."

"And are you positive that he's not some old pervert?"

"Now that's just cold, Fujikawa-chan! Come  _on_!" Shigure whined, swatting my elbow. "Besides, it's not like you have anything else to do about it, right?"

I considered this. He was right, as much as I didn't want to admit it, since, well- when talking to some fishy nutjob of a psychic was your only option to avoid certain death, you knew you were fucked.

 

For the second day in a row, I stayed after school, standing anxiously in front of a closed classroom door. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door. "Hello? Anyone there?"

"Salutations, outsider!" a muffed voice chirped. "Please come in!"

Only then did the extent of my bizarre situation strike me. Me, a mostly normal high school girl, about to enter the lair of a total stranger, the alleged guardian angel of Tokyo. How did I, of all people, manage to get myself caught up in this?

Mustering a shred of insane courage, I opened the door.

A stout boy with a hurricane of frizzy white-blonde hair sat perched on the windowsill, wearing a baggy kimono that mostly definitely wasn't in our school dress code. Glancing up, he smiled angelically at me, spreading his arms in greeting. "Welcome!"

I bowed to him. "Good afternoon, Miyagi-senpai."

"Just Natsu," he corrected, picking up a stub of a pencil and crossing something off the diagram in his hand, his lips pursed in a small frown. Reluctantly setting it down, he hopped off his perch to stand a good half-foot shorter than me. He peered at me, a hand resting on a stubbly chin. "Wait, wait, don't tell me...you're...Fujikawa, right? Fujikawa Sukochi...second year, Class 2-A?"

"Um, well, yes." I gaped at him, snapping out of it long enough to hold out my hand. "It's nice to meet you, Natsu-san."

"Likewise." He shook it warmly. "Now, tell me, my dear...what may I help you with today? I'm terribly sorry, but I'm completing an assignment that was due quite some time ago. My teacher will throw a tantrum if I don't hand it in by the end of the week. She's quite fussy, if I say so for myself, so it would be preferable if we finished quickly."

Well, nothing could surprise me anymore. "You see, I'm having some teacher trouble as well." I shifted my weight from foot to foot, unnerved by the bird-like tilt of his head and the depth in his watery blue eyes. "My teacher-"

"Hotaru Minami, I believe? Yes, I had the pleasure of having her as my teacher quite some time ago," he informed me, waving a dismissive hand. "I understand that she's quite the pusher, no? I managed to finish my second year within two years when I was with her. Please send her my regards."

At a loss for what to say, I cleared my throat. "Anyways, I haven't turned in my career form yet, since I don't really know what I want to do, so...I was wondering if you could help me out?"

Natsu scratched a spot behind his ear. "So you want a prediction? I know what they say, but there's only so much I can do for you, Fujikawa-san. Your future is entirely in your hands. But, if you really want to know, I am willing to tell you something. Though, I must warn you, knowledge comes at a hefty price." I nodded firmly and, tilting his head to the side, he smiled. "Alright then! Hold out your hand."

I shuffled forward, doing as he asked. His calloused fingers closed over mine, sandwiching my hand between both of his. "Happiness, sorrow, happiness, sorrow, happiness...it's very unclear, Fujikawa-chan. Many obstacles stand in your way."

"Um, I'm not sure if you misunderstood my question, senpai, but-"

"I understood it, alright," he said absentmindedly, running his fingertips up and down the back of my palm. "It is impossible to tell your future without the full picture, you see. However, for you...it's rather hazy- you're living with the Sohmas, no?" I nodded. "Yes, yes...that's interesting."

"You know about them, don't you?" I lowered my voice.

His lips upturned in a mysterious smile. "I can't give away all of my secrets, can I?"

"I'll pretend that I know what you mean," I sighed, pulling away. "Any luck on my career prospects?"

He didn't reply for what seemed like forever, standing still as a statue. Just I was about to turn around to leave, a hot-headed remark aimed at a certain idiot already forming in my mind, he blurted out, "Write a tragic story about a girl coping with the death of a close family member."

"What?"  _He's the guardian angel of Tokyo, Sukochi. Just play along_. "Okay, so if I do do this...I'll have everything figured out?"

"That," Natsu grinned impishly, pressing his fingers into my palm, "is entirely up to you. You're a special girl, Fujikawa-san. Your path is difficult, but I have faith in you. But please, remember to give your heart to the one who deserves it. Don't linger on the past and always look ahead." He closed my hand into a fist, releasing me. "Best of luck with your journey."

The cryptic advice was starting to get to me, but I managed to choke out a thank you, stumbling out of the room that felt like a prison cell. And, for the oddest reason, I felt like crying.

 

I thrusted the final draft of the story into Shigure's hands. I didn't know why his words meant so much to me, why I took the time to write the thing, but something drove me to do it anyways. "Here, Monsieur Writer. Flame me all you want."

"So, this is the product of your meeting with the great Natsu?" he asked, clearly puzzled. "Seems kinda different from all the other stuff I've heard. It just sounds so implausible, asking you to write a story as a solution to all your problems."

"Just read it, doofus," I snapped. Bracing his hands in surrender, he accepted my manuscript and flipped to the first page.

Within minutes, he was flat-out sobbing, face pressed into my chest and arms wrapped around my waist. "That was so beautiful, Fujikawa-chan! A true literary masterpiece! Bravo, bra-" His compliment was swallowed by a choking sniffle. "How horribly tragic! You...he...it-"

I gave him a dubious look. "Oh, come on. You're just bluffing, right? Just suck it up and tell me how much it sucks already!"

He dabbed at his eyes with the corner of a tissue. "I would never joke about so grave a thing! Your writing really is incredible. Just for the record, you could totally make a-"

"Career out of this?" we finished, in unison.

A wide grin spread across his face. "Go get the sheet. Looks like we have our answer, after all."


	14. Protests

Sukochi's POV

"Summer vacation, summer vacation, no more school until next semester," Shigure chanted, unceremoniously dumping a stack of books into his unzipped backpack. "Summer vacation, summer vacation, girls in two piece-"

"If you're trying to catch me in a good mood so you can force me to go swimsuit-shopping with you, well...fat chance," I countered.

"Ah, you read my mind!" he cried out, draping himself theatrically over his desk. "Come on, Fujikawa-chan. At least allow me the luxury of fantasizing of such things- it'll help me get the creative juices flowing for when I write my best-selling novel!"

"Sometimes, I wonder how you're so damn  _confident,"_  I grumbled, barely murmuring a farewell to our preoccupied teacher, who was sitting at her desk and looked as if she wanted nothing more than for the earth to swallow her whole.

"I guess you could say it runs in the family." He bobbed his head up and down, swerving to avoid a squealing first-year. "You could write one too, you know. I'm fully willing to be your editor, and hey, I'll even give you a ten percent discount!"

"I don't know- realistic fiction isn't really my thing," I said absentmindedly, joining the fervent rush of students pouring out of the building.

And then, just like that, we were outside, basking in the searing heat of the late afternoon sun and the glow of sheer freedom.

We were stuck in the depths of the hazily hot July, the relentless heat only worsened by our school administration's stubborn refusal to install a suitable air conditioning system. Despite many protesters, myself included, we were forced to resign ourselves to our fate, carrying around jugs of water and paper fans to keep from collapsing of heat stroke. It seemed hotter than ever this year, and I was very much looking forward to a summer of doing absolutely nothing.

Hatori and Ayame were already waiting for us there, leaning against the entrance gate and beckoning us over. I waved back, breaking into a sprint and pushing aside the rest of the crowd with unnatural gusto in my rush to join them. Shigure laughed, quickening his pace to keep up with me. "You're in an unusually good mood today."

"Whatever do you mean? I'm always in a good mood," I said airily, just stopping in front of Hatori and Ayame, grinning broadly as I brushed my bangs away from my sweaty forehead. "Hey, losers. You know what time it is?"

"Summertime!" Shigure and Ayame chorused, bursting into a fit of giggles.

"I hope that this isn't an excuse not to do your summer homework," Hatori said in his usual clipped voice, clearly suppressing a smile.

"Oh, come on, Ha'ri!" Shigure whined, pawing at his shoulder. "You're even less fun than Fujikawa-chan is!"

"What was that?" I lifted my fist.

"Just kidding!" he laughed, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey...just to celebrate the end of the semester...why don't we go out and have some fun?"

"If this plan includes buying me a ramune, I'm in!" I impatiently tugged at Shigure's hand and yanked him forwards. When they didn't follow us, I turned around, frowning at them. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing." Ayame held back a snicker, glancing knowingly at Hatori, who rolled his eyes. "Onward, my fellow adventurers! To infinity and beyond!"

"That's the spirit!" I chirped, still clinging to Shigure as I tugged him down the street, almost oblivious to the odd looks I received from passerby.

Nothing was going to ruin my perfectest of perfect summers.

Or so I'd thought.

 

Shigure came bursting into the living room, naked save for a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, his toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. He spat it out, a crooked grin lighting up his face. "So for our summer, I was debating between getting us part-time jobs to enlighten our minds and halt our progression in becoming the dregs of society, or-

"Nothing you can do about _that_ ," I piped up from my spot on the floor, poring through a celebrity gossip magazine.

"-going hiking in the deep, dark forests of the Sohma family summer home!"

"Sohma family summer home?" I echoed. "You have a  _summer home_?"

"The perks of belonging to an ancient lineage, I'll say!" Shigure chirped, lifting a finger into the air as he launched into explanation, the smug look back on his face. "Two hundred years earlier, the Sohma family, out of dire need for entertainment, hired-"

"Okay, okay, I believe you," I interjected- the last thing I wanted was a history lecture on the first day of summer. "So, what were you saying?"

Hatori looked up from his magazine, his lips pursed into a frown. "It hasn't been used in about a decade, so staying there might be a bit problematic...not to mention we have all of that homework to finish."

"Oh, stop being such a downer, Ha'ri," Shigure said dismissively. "Everyone leaves it till the last minute anyways."

"Speak for yourself," he muttered under his breath.

Shigure hastily cleared his throat. "Anyways, yes, as I was saying- the Sohma summer house has a beach, a nice forest, and a quaint little roof for us to sleep under. It's perfect for a summer vacation!" He hesitated, deliberately letting a slow, searing silence to settle between us. "Well, except for one thing."

A chill ran up and down my spine. My curiosity piqued, I leaned over to swat him on the knee. "Well? Don't leave us hanging."

"Jason," came his sly response.

"Jason? What are you even talking about?" I demanded, eyeing him warily. That smug look still hadn't left his face. "Earth to Shigure?"

"Apologies." He let out an agonizing sigh, a pained expression crossing his face. "I was awash in horror at the very utterance of his name, which strikes fear in the hearts of the manliest of men, sends a pool of darkness consuming their souls."

"So exciting!" Ayame squealed, looking up from his knitting. "Tell us more, 'Gure!"

"I've never heard anything about a Jason." Hatori arched a delicate eyebrow at him. "Please tell us more."

"Hmph, so hasty!" Shigure clucked, crouching down and wiggling his fingers at me. "Jason is a monstrous demonic bear that lurks deep in the woods of the Sohma family home, preying on rare morsels of tender, preferably female, flesh."

A shiver of fear tingled up and down my body. Shuddering involuntarily, I was uncomfortably aware of the beads of sweat inching down my neck. "Cut the crap, Sohma- what did you say? 'Monstrous demonic bear'? Kind of redundant, if you ask me."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were scared," he taunted, the smirk creeping back onto his face. "Aw, wittle Fujikawa-chan, scared of a teeny-tiny bear?"

I nearly choked on my own spit, managing, "Me, terrified of some stupid legend? In your dreams, troglodyte."

"Prove it, then." A Chesire cat grin spread across his face. God, he looked more punchable than ever.

"You wanna go, Sohma?" I snarled, brandishing my rolled-up magazine like a deadly weapon. Hatori sighed ruefully behind me, watching our little scene with resignation.

"My, my, Fujikawa-chan," Shigure purred, batting his eyelashes at me. "I would never in my wildest dreams believe that you, of all people, would relegate yourself to such  _crude_  measures. Honestly, I thought better of you. Why don't we settle this the civilized way- like two real men would?"

I clenched my jaw. "And how would we go about doing that?"

"I'm so glad that you asked," he said smugly. "We'll settle this through a good old-fashioned dare. If you agree to go to the summer home with me and camp out in the woods for a week, you win, and I will forever respect you as my superior." He kneeled down before me, hands pressed to his chest. "How do you like the title 'Fujikawa-sama'?"

"Sounds like my type of thing." I grinned, gripping his hand and shaking it vigorously. "It's a deal. We will swear upon our pride as two manly men to uphold our honor, Jason be damned. Ha, nothing good old Fujikawa can't handle. A week in the woods, baby! I'll go pack right away!" I scrambled to my feet, fully prepared to sprint up the stairs and into my room.

"I assume this means we're all going?" Hatori interrupted my mad dash, sounding weary.

I glowered at him, placing my hands on my hips. "Do you even have to ask?"

He sighed, shaking his head from side to side. "And I thought  _one_  Shigure enough."

The chauffeured car screeched to a halt in front of a quaint lakeside house, the engine sputtering out. Leaping out of the confines of the stuffy vehicle, I let out a whoop, stretching my arms above my head. Pressing my hand against my forehead to block the glaring sun, I gazed fondly up at the clear blue sky. "Am I in heaven?"

"Well, that might be going a little too far," Shigure laughed, following me out of the car. "We really should come here more often- maybe we could buddy up with Jason and throw a party with him and his furry little friends." He looked pointedly at me, his lips upturning in a smirk.

I laced my fingers together and bent over backwards, feeling my muscles contract and snap back into place. "Sounds like a blast. I don't know if you've realized it by now, but I'm a fucking party animal."

"It resonates through every fiber of your being," Shigure assured me. "My badass sensors are telling me that I got a real wild-child right here."

"Don't go having fun without me!" Ayame grunted, his arms filled with backpacks from the open trunk. "Come on, 'Gure- lend a hand!"

"Don't despair, Aya, I'm on my way!" he said in a sing-song voice, racing off to help his friend with the bags. Arms linked together, they skipped up the steps of the house and away from the car, hefting duffle bags and breaking into an off-key chorus of some sort.

Hatori thanked the driver wearily, stepping out and watching it drive away in a cloud of dust. Lifting his hand in farewell, he turned to me, heaving a sigh. "We'll head to the house and clean up a bit, and then we can get ready for the hike."

"Ugh, cleaning." I wrinkled my nose. "Why hasn't anyone come here for all of these years? It seems like a perfectly nice place."

He smiled grimly. "Jason, remember?"

"Ugh, you too?" I huffed, scowling. "For the last time, I'm not scared of some dumb bear!"

 

Dressed in a pair of khakis and a light blue t-shirt, I stepped out of the bathroom, gently towel-drying my still-moist hair. "I am  _so_  pumped for this!"

"Jason likes girls," Ayame reminded me, cap tipped over his eyes. "No really, he  _really_ likes girls." Shigure leaned over to whisper something into his ear, and they sniggered, exchanging a high-five.

"Yes, I think we've established that," I said primly, tossing the damp towel into a nearby hamper and slinging my knapsack over my shoulders. "Let's just get this shit over with."

"Wow, getting a little bossy there," Shigure remarked, grinning crookedly at me.

Still grumbling about insolent pigs, I trudged out of the house, the sun still high in the sky as we gradually made our way to the forest trails. The ground was rugged and unpaved, smothered in gravel, clumped soil, and thorny roots, sending stabbing pains through my feet at regular intervals.

All too soon, we were standing in front of the looming, dark forest, a creaky wood gate attached to a bulging tree trunk swinging precariously back and forth.

I resisted the urge to panic, taking a deep breath. Why had I agreed to this, again?

Right. Manliness, Sukochi. Manliness.

Clearing my throat, I laughed heartily. "Ha! This is nothing."

Shigure leaned against a nearby boulder, half-smiling to myself. "Is it really? My, my, you're quite the brave one, Fujikawa-chan."

"Anyways," Hatori added, obviously disgruntled, "please refrain from doing anything stupid. We've had accounts of people getting lost in these forests and the police having to retrieve them, so it would be helpful if you followed us and stayed out of trouble. Is that clear?"

"So stuffy, Ha'ri," Ayame huffed, elbowing him in the ribs. "Anyways, there's nothing to worry about! Fujikawa-chan's perfectly capable of taking care of herself."

I swallowed back a gulp when he zeroed in on me, giving a jerky nod.

"Good!" Shigure piped up. "Now that all that boring stuff's been settled, let's get going! Adventure, here we come!"

 

Two hours later, we had already climbed into the thick of the forest, backpacks slung over our shoulders as we snagged onto tree roots and hopped over fallen logs. Feigning vigor and ignoring my loudly growling stomach, I nibbled at granola bars and sang campfire songs to the echo-y darkness.

"We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz!" Ayame and Shigure chorused, arms linked, Hatori hanging a few feet behind them, tasked with the job of map-reader.

"There's a scenic view at the top of this trail," he said as we came to a fork in the road, the oak trees next to the path marked with a single blue dot. "I asked Kazuma-san about it a few days ago; he says you can see the entire lake from up there."

"Okay, sounds good." I shrugged, pushing past them to walk across the path he had pointed to, a breeze tickling at neck. Hopping over a wooden plank, I held a thorny branch away from my face and wordlessly handed it to Shigure, crawling through the overgrown thicket. Our feet crushed the twigs beneath us, gently pattering against the soil as we stepped onto a granite surface, and-

"Wow," I breathed, shielding my eyes from the glaring late afternoon sun. "It's...it's-"

"Beautiful?" Shigure and Ayame suggested, leaning over a small shrub to grin at me.

Ayame let out a piercing whistle between his teeth. "Kazuma wasn't kidding."

"Yeah, you can say that again," I breathed, still in awe.

The lake, pristine and glimmering, lay in all its glory before us, lapping at the sandy bank where our house, now a tiny matchbox in a sea of lush blues and greens, sat. Leafy green trees dotted the landscape,and rolling hills rippled and rippled as far as the eye could see, a thin layer of clouds floating lazily across the pinkish-orange sky.

Suddenly, a thundering crack sounded in the the clump of foliage behind us. The bushes rustled, and a low growl could be heard through the still trembling leaves. The seconds ticking by agonizingly slowly, the husky sounds rose in volume, drawing nearer and nearer.

Paralyzed by fear, I glanced at my companions, all of which were standing stock still, at a loss for what to do.

"Jason," Shigure mumbled, his eyes widened in shock.

From my peripheral, I swore I saw a matted brown paw plant itself just outside of the shade of the thicket, claws long and glistening with wet and no doubt very sharp, the sort you didn't quite want impaling you in the chest.

"Run!" Ayame shrieked, shattering the eerie calm. Hurrying to comply, I came crashing down through slopingly steep path that cut through a row of trees. Without so much as a glance back, I stumbled through the woods, the wind gusting past my face as the shouting subsided from behind me, strangely muted against the _thump-thump_  of my heart.

 _Run, bitch, run._ The blanket of brown-yellow leaves crunched beneath my feet, the edge of my windbreaker hood tickling my face as I ran, ran, and ran, too panicked to stop and realize that I had no idea where I was going, that I was going completely against what Hatori had said, moving farther and farther from safety, fueled by adrenaline and fear and _fuck, get out of there._

I tripped over a tree root and toppled over, my ankle cushioning the fall. Before I could register what had just happened, blinding pain coursed through my lower leg, stinging and nipping at my skin. Panting and pushing my hair away from my face, I placed both palms onto the moist ground, attempting to push myself to my feet. The pain flaring up again at the small motion, I fell back down, a dry-heaving, hyperventilating mess trapped in the middle of nowhere.

And did I mention totally lost?

_Oh, fuck._

I ordered myself to breathe, look around, assess the situation. The trees were unmarked in this area, and we certainly hadn't been here before- the path I'd followed must have been off the trail. Wherever I was, it didn't matter; lost was lost, regardless of where you were.

"They're gonna find you, they're gonna find you," I chanted, the breathy mantra somewhat calming me down. "You still have your pack, Sukochi- you'll be fine for another day or so."

_But what if you aren't?_

_Shut up, brain. You aren't helping._

Winding my arms around my back, I slipped the pack off my shoulders, bringing it to rest in front of me. Inside (thanks to Hatori's meticulous planning), was several pairs of thick woolen socks, a tiny first-aid kit, two packs of dried fruit and cup ramen, three granola bars, a whistle, tissues and baby wipes, a blue bag filled with toiletries, and four plastic garbage bags.

Flicking open the lock to the first aid, I perused its contents- small patches of gauze, band-aids, a mini-bottle of saline, adhesive tape, a needle and thread for stitches, tweezers, none of would be of any real use to me in my predicament.

Exhaling through gritted teeth, I pushed myself into a more comfortable position, angling myself so that my injured ankle was stretched in front of me. Shaking out the wrinkled socks and pulling them apart, I leaned forward to wrap them around my ankle, wincing as I tied the final knot.

Curse my limited knowledge of medical procedures.

Confident that I was okay to move just a little, I scooted backwards and leaned against a nearby tree trunk, warm under the few rogue rays of sunshine peeking through the forest canopy.

And finally, it came to me.

I'd never contemplated the idea of death before.

Suicide had always seemed stupid to me- as if killing yourself would solve anything. But what if this really was the end? Everything I had ever lived or cried or loved or felt hurt over...was it really all for nothing?

I wonder if people had time to think about it before they went. If death slowed down that painful, blinding instant, if life flashed right before their eyes. Regrets, things they'd never be able to see or do, people they wanted to say goodbye to, apologies left unsaid.

Was that how Daichi felt?

My breath hitched in my throat.

What would my parents think if I...well, died? Would they be sad? Would they go on, believing that I hated them?

And the Sohmas…who was gonna help them if I wasn't there? I was their friend, wasn't I?

A painfully replaceable one at that, if anything at all. What if they didn't need me? If I disappeared, would they find another girl to befriend and move on? Would I just be another tool to them in the end, yet another victim of the Sohma family curse?

The back of my head resting against the rough bark, I drifted into a cold, dreamless sleep.

 

"Fujikawa-chan!" someone hissed, shaking my shoulder. "Wake up."

Prying my heavy eyelids open, the world seemed to spin, trees swaying as the blanket of leaves fluttered in the breeze. Immediately casting my gaze towards my ankle, I saw that it was freshly bandaged with a thick layer of linen. Groaning, I stretched my sore neck from side to side, pressing a hand against my forehead. "Oh God, it's just you guys."

Shigure knelt down besides me, glancing at his watch. "Mornin', sunshine. How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," I moaned. "What happened?"

"Well," he s said uneasily, wringing his hands out, "a wild animal appeared where we were standing, and we freaked out, so without thinking, we all ran in opposite directions. The three of us managed to rendezvous a couple of kilometers away from here, but we had no idea where you'd gone. Anyways, we're really sorry- it's our fault you got hurt. It was selfish of us, and-"

"Oh, don't be so stupid," I interrupted, rolling my eyes. "I'm the oneto blame. And, you know, it was  _mostly_  my fault- I ran, I got my ankle twisted, yada yada yada. I would hate myself if I spent my entire life relying on you guys when it's  _me_ who's in  _your_  debt."

"That would have been a lot more inspirational if you took out that 'mostly'," Ayame quipped.

"Hush, you. Don't ruin the moment," I shushed, sticking my tongue out at them. "Let's just keep on going." Just as I was about to clamber to my feet, Hatori leaned forward to grasp my shoulders, pushing me back to my sitting position.

"No walking for you," he said sternly. "Your ankle's injured enough as it is."

"But, the bet-" I protested, but to no avail.

"Is your well-being less important to you than some silly bet?"

Well, when he put it  _that_  way. I readily shut my mouth.

Shigure poked me playfully on the nose, grinning from ear to ear. "Besides, I think you've proved your manliness enough. You fought hard, trooper- Ayame'd be a crying mess if he were you right now."

"Would not!"

"Would too!"

While I was distracted by their bickering, Hatori crouched down next to me, tucking a hand under my knees and planting the other firmly on my back. And despite my strangled noises of protest, he rose slowly to his feet, holding me to him.

I flailed my arms wildly, uncomfortably aware of his very, very warm chest pressed up against my shoulders. "W-What the hell are you doing?"

"Stay still," he commanded, ducking to avoid a messy punch aimed at his head. "Don't make this harder than it already is. Besides, do you really think you're going anywhere with that ankle of yours? You'll only slow us down."

"Argh." I pouted, sending a cold look to a sniggering Shigure. "Oh, shut it, you."

"Whatever you say, Princess."


	15. Agreements

Sukochi's POV

Soda in hand and a skip in my step, I was heading home from a brief shopping trip when Shigure tapped my shoulder, eagerly pointing to a neon yellow stand next to the arcade. "Look! It's a photobooth!"

We were basking in the dying throes of summer vacation, the branches of the nearby trees waving their sorrowful farewells and casting shadows on the neighboring rooftops. Ah, how quickly those dog days of ragged peace and ankle pains had passed me by,

I swallowed a mouthful of melon soda, barely sparing it a glance. "So what?"

"It's the chance of a lifetime!" he cried out, as if he could not understand my failure to acknowledge the importance of such a thing.

Hatori cleared his throat. "Actually, if we wanted, we could-"

Shigure shushed him, insisting, "We have to get a picture taken!"

"There's no way all of us are gonna fit in there." I scoffed. "Besides, it's really stupid. Who even uses photobooths anymore?"

"Come on, Fujikawa-chan!" he pleaded, putting on his infamous puppy dog face. "It's part of the summer experience, right? 'Never look back?'"

I eyed him apprehensively for a moment, but eventually relented. "Fine. But only if you're paying."

Shigure let out a triumphant whoop, grabbing my arm in one hand and Ayame's in the other and tugging us insistently towards the booth. "Woohoo! This is gonna be so much fun!" Without further ado, he bounded into the booth, reclining on the cracked vinyl as if it were a throne. Grinning slyly at me, he patted his thigh invitingly. "You're right: it  _is_  a little cramped in here. Mind sitting on my lap?"

"I think I'll pass." I wrinkled my nose at him, crouching to slip in after Ayame. "Better send that offer Hatori's way."

"No thanks," he mumbled, following us inside and watching as Shigure inserted a couple of coins into a slot. "How do you work these things, anyways?"

"Papa Shigure's got it covered," Shigure assured him, fiddling with the controls and nearly elbowing me in the face; just as I predicted, we were packed more tightly together than I would have liked. "What theme do you guys want? How about friendship and flowers? And...selected!"

"Sounds lovely," I grumbled under my breath, uncomfortably aware of Hatori's weight pressed firmly against my hip.

"Why did you ask us if you were going to pick it anyways?" Hatori asked, looking spectacularly miffed.

Shigure shrugged. "It gives me a sense of self-importance."

"Better not inflate his ego anymore," I advised his cousins, sweat practically cascading down my forehead. "You'll get a total snob on your hands before you know it. Then he'll be  _more_  unbearable."

"Ugh, you are  _such_  a bully." He pouted, prodding button after button. "Okay, I've got it...ready, set...smile!"

"Huh?"

A ridiculously bright flash illuminated the dank booth, nearly blinding me.

"Again! Peace signs!"

I barely had time to force my fingers into the gesture before the camera went off again, Ayame nearly smacking me in the face in his enthusiasm. "Guys, move the fuck over!"

Shigure ignored me, cupping his hands to his chest. "Hearts!"

This continued for some time, shot after painful shot. After the ordeal had ended, Shigure wiped the sweat off his brow, the system processing our undoubtedly horrible pictures with a loud whir. "Good work, men and wom _an_. Thanks to your undying patience, the memory of our youthful high school lives will last a lifetime."

Four slips of rectangular paper slid out of a slot. Snatching one up, I flipped it over and promptly winced at the sight of our convoluted faces. My eyes were bugged out in at least four of the shots, teeth gritted in a labored smile. Hatori looked vastly uncomfortable and was wearing the same stoic expression in all six shots, Ayame and Shigure filling up the pictures with their toothy smiles.

Not to mention the theme was every bit as bad as Shigure made it out to be- daisies and pink sparkles and majestic unicorns lining the border. Ouch.

"Well, don't  _we_  look spiffy?" Shigure clapped his hands together. "Okay, we have to promise to put this on a notebook of our choice and always remember our friendship!"

"You do these things on purpose, Shigure," I said vehemently, slipping it into my bag. "Can we get out of here now? It's really hot."

"Wait, wait- it's time for my inspirational speech!" he fussed, clearing his throat. "Okay, so Fujikawa-chan...other than each other, Ha'ri, Aya, and I never really had any friends growing up, but then you came along, and, well...changed all of that. Even though you're a bully sometimes, we all love you and are totally pumped about spending the rest of the school year with you! Thanks for being our friend!"

"I am so  _not_ a bully," I sniffled, holding back tears of joy. "God, you idiots! I'd...I'd hug you all right now, but..." I motioned to the tight quarters we were currently trapped in, and you know, the curse.

"All in good time, dear," Shigure said kindly, giving me a little pat on the shoulder.  
  


"Ugh, _school_ ," I groaned as we entered homeroom with heavy hearts, dragging our blissfully empty schoolbags behind us. "Too soon, too soon."

"As usual, all good things must come to an end," Shigure sighed mournfully. "What horrors await us now, I wonder?"

I took my usual seat by the window, plopping my bag onto the ground. Gazing ruefully at the clean chalkboard, I watched as our classmates slowly filtered in, politely inquiring about each other's summers, the summer homework we'd left to the last couple of days, so on and so forth. Mindless chatter bubbled through the classroom, mostly slipping right past our little corner of the classroom.

Our isolation had never seemed so...tangible.

"Hi, Sohma," one of our classmates, Hanamura, approached our desks rather bashfully, her hands fisted in the fabric of her skirt.

"Which one?" I quipped.

She shot me a dirty look, amending, "Sohmas, I mean. And Fujikawa, of course. How are you guys?"

Despite her best efforts, it was obvious that her words were quite obviously directed at a certain someone.

"We're fine," Hatori said coolly, barely sparing her a glance as he inserted fresh lead into his blue mechanical pencil, pressing the white snub of an eraser to his desk. "And yourself, Hanamura-san?"

"I'm good." She bobbed energetically up and down, at a loss for other conversation topics. "Um, so...what did you do over the summer?"

"We stayed at our family summer home!" Ayame chirped. "Fujikawa-chan came with us, too! It was a lot of fun. We swam in the lake, we hiked, we roasted marshmallows, and told scary ghost stories!"

"Well, yeah, except for my little mishap," I reminded him.

"Don't be such a downer, Fujikawa-chan!" Shigure chided. "You had fun, didn't you?"

"Hmph."

Hanamura giggled shrilly, her smile becoming more strained by the second. "Your families must be close."

"Close?" I scoffed, nearing my egghead tolerance limit. "You must be shitting me. We live togeth-"

Hatori kicked the legs of my desk, sending a metallic clang resounding through the air, but he was too late- the little words had already left my mouth. Hanamura's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Live together? Seriously? Um, wow...no wonder you guys are, like, such good friends."

She was so starstruck, you would've thought that I told her Shigure was the fucking  _pope_.

Minami-sensei chose that moment to clack through the open door, her presence as domineering and wickedly sharp as always. A hush immediately fell upon the classroom.

Her eagle eyes, still bearing her characteristic glint, zeroed in on the girl currently leaning over my desk. "Hanamura? Why don't you find a seat? Class has already begun, correct?"

"Y-yes, sensei," she stammered, scurrying to a seat a couple rows away.

Filled with an inexplicable feeling of satisfaction, I watched with a smirk she took a seat besides her usual gossipy clique, her face colored a blotchy red.

"You all look reasonably well-rested," Minami-sensei remarked, adjusting her horn-rimmed spectacles and sitting herself down in her swivel chair. "No doubt you've completed your summer assignments with one hundred percent of your effort, no?"

The class seemed to share a worried look.

"No need to look so guilty," she chuckled, opening her attendance booklet.

A note landed on my desk. Making sure the hag wasn't glancing my way, I hastily unfolded it underneath my desk.

_Well, she seems like she's in an unusually good mood. Even more murderous than usual, I mean._

I glanced at Shigure, snorting softly. Well, at least I  _hoped_  it was soft.

Minami-sensei eyed me warily, pausing in her monologue. "You've seemed to have found something rather amusing, Fujikawa. Care to enlighten us?"

"It's nothing, sensei," I blurted out, a bit too quickly.

"That reminds me." Her gaze still boring into me, she stood up, pacing back and forth. "It's come to my attention that you'd been getting rather...affectionate with each other as of late. I thought that it would be in the best interests of your education that I...how to say this? Ah, shake things a little. Get you to open up in front of new peers, keep you from getting distracted in my class. Good plan, no?"

Everyone mumbled to themselves, shooting me icy glares.

Minami-sensei took a coffee canister out of her bag, tipping it towards us to reveal the contents: two dozen slips of paper. "Each of you will take one. The paper will tell you which seat you'll call home for the new semester." She prowled up and down the rows, smirking almost imperceptibly as she passed me.

I reluctantly chose a slip, quickly opening it. _Row five, third seat from the back._ Leaning back to glance at Shigure, I flashed him the paper. He shook his head, pointing forlornly to his.  _Row nine, first seat._

I jutted my head towards Ayame and Hatori, but he merely sighed and shook his head once more. _Shit's rigged_ , he mouthed.

Well, not like it was _that_  surprising.

Minami-sensei seemed to watch the exchange between her students with satisfaction, her manicured-talons drumming against her desk. "Well, class? Finished? Chop, chop- to your new seats!"

Shigure blew me a mock farewell kiss, pretending to blow his nose. I rolled my eyes, gathering my things and moving to the forlorn desk smack dab in the middle of the classroom. As my peers grumbled, I assessed my dire situation.

Hatori, two rows to my right, near the front. Ayame, a row to my left, but in the back.

Directly behind me sat the residential bookworm chick. Okay, alright with me. In front of me, a girl with her hair so puffed-up I could barely see the board. To my left, a boy who was sniffing grossly as he perused a chemistry textbook. And to my right-

Mio Hanamura practically slithered into the seat, clearly miffed. Her mascara had already begun to smear, but unfortunately for her, the generosity of my kindred spirit didn't extend as far as to notify her. She gave me a tight-lipped smile, pulling a pencil sharpener out of her Totoro pencil case. "Hello, Fujikawa. I guess we're neighbors now."

"Hm." I shrugged and acquired an all-consuming interest in what Minami-sensei was writing on the chalkboard.

A note landed on top of my desk, coming from the right. Disgust welling deep inside of me, I ignored her, flicking the crumpled paper to the ground and crushing it with my foot. Two more followed, the process repeating.

I gnashed my teeth together, glaring daggers at the snickering girl.

And finally, I reached my limit. Standing up and slapping my hands on the surface of my desk, I whipped around. "What the hell's your problem?"

Eerie silence descended upon the room.

Minami-sensei turned away from the blackboard, narrowing her eyes at me. "Is something the matter, Fujikawa? Please, share your concerns with the class."

"It's just that, that-" I motioned wildly, and sputtered, "Valence electrons!"

"Valence electrons?" She tilted her head to the side. "Well, what about them?"

"It's just that...I don't get it! Seriously, it's unfair! Why does helium get to be chemically stable _and_  neutral?" I inwardly cursed my horrible lying skills, but honestly, what choice did I have?

"Excellent question, Fujikawa," she said carefully. "However, if you have a comment about our fascinating material, kindly raise your hand and address me about it after class or on your own time. Please understand that I will not tolerate any more of your rude disruptions."

"Yes, ma'am," I murmured, my face heating up rapidly. I could practically hear Shigure snickering, that little twit.

"So, valence electrons. Let us review. Would anyone like to offer something to clear up Fujikawa's agonizing confusion?"

Hanamura's hand shot straight into the air, a guardedly gleeful smile on her face.  
  


After an agonizing forty-five minutes of chem, Hatori and I were heading towards religion down the hall when Hanamura tapped me on the shoulder, readjusting her flower barrette sheepishly. "Sorry for earlier. The witch is pretty damn scary, huh?"

I seethed, biting back a torrent of expletives. "What do  _you_  want?"

"Don't be so rude, Fujikawa," Hatori chastised, pursing his lips.

The simpering look Hanamura gave him was enough to make me gag.

"So Fujikawa, hey, can we talk for a sec? It'll be quick, I swear."

 _I'd rather swallow frogspawn_ , I thought viciously.

But being a mature, sensible girl I was, I obliged, turning back to Hatori. "Go ahead. Tell sensei I'm running late.

"So," Hanamura turned back to me once he was out of earshot. "You guys seem close."

"I guess?" I said nonchalantly. "Wish Shigure and Ayamewould rop the '-chan', though. It drives me nuts." It was taking all I had to maintain friendly conversation, what with the constipated look on her stupid face.

"I think it's endearing," she declared, her forced smile telling me that she thought it was everything but that. Her sparkly white teeth were smeared with cherry lip gloss, her wispy chestnut locks reeking of crummy dollar store hair gel.

Plastic to the core. I despised her type.

"Um, thanks?"

"No problem." She nodded, the waxy smile slowly dripping off her face, like she was a candle and someone had placed an open flame a bit too close for comfort. "About you three living together...well, is there something going on?" She lowered her voice to a hush, leaning towards me. Even still, her so-called whisper was about as loud as a volcano eruption.

"Meaning...?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, you know what I mean!" she snapped, before quickly regaining her composure.. "How did you end up like that anyways? I mean, three boys, one girl...that's just not normal. I'm not saying  _you're_  weird, of course, it's just that, you know, from an outsider looking in...just a woman's intuition, y'know? Just trying to keep an eye out for you, girl to-"

"Spit it out already, will you?" I demanded, folding my arms across my chest. "You know, I really have to get to class, and if there's nothing important for you to say, then I might as well just leave."

She passed her tongue over her lips, suddenly looking very anxious. "So, nothing's going between you and Sohma -Hatori, that is- right? 'Cause, well, you-"

"Yeah, you wouldn't be the first," I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Sorry, Hanamural. He's just not interested. Honestly, I've talked to him about it before; he's a pretty ambitious person, and he can't have some chick taking up all his time. Besides, his family has really high standards. Seriously, they have this screening test for every girl who even _looks_  at him. Real snobs, if you know what I mean. They've got plans for him; there's no way they'll just let you waltz in and fuck him up."

"Oh, but they'd let a totally average girl like you live with them?" she retorted, face turning the color of a blueberry popsicle.

"Yeah? Take a good look at yourself!" I scoffed, before taking a deep breath to calm myself. "Okay, fine, it's weird, yeah, I know. I was an exception; my family's got connections to them, I never got along with my stepfamily, so I'm holding out with them for a bit, okay? Personal issues and everything. It's really none of your business, so-"

"Oh, just shut up!" she screeched, jabbing a stubby finger in my face. "You just want to keep him all to yourself, don't you? You have two other boys, and you still want to hog Hatori? Oh my God, just how much do you need to satisfy your disgusting perversions? Know what I see, you vindictive little bitch? You and that little Shigure, chumming it up, always giggling and putting your heads together. What do you think you're doing to poor Hatori? You're toying with his heart, and you don't even care!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down." I backed away from her, bracing both hands in front of me. I'd heard this Whore of Babylon talk before, but it never got this bad. I mean, plenty of girls had approached me about it before, but this- this was on a totally different level. "Okay, fine. Point taken. I'd think the same thing if I were you, but trust me. We're just friends."

She gave me a scathing look, turning up her nose.

Oh, she didn't believe me? Well, see if I cared.

I threw my hands up into the air. "Okay, sweetheart. What can I do to prove it you?

"Get me a date with Hatori, or else I'll-" she faltered, before a wide, scheming grin spread across her face, "-I'll expose your secret to everyone in school."

I cocked my head to the side. "Um, what secret?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" she practically shrieked, prodding me in the chest. Add some foam and blackening teeth, and she could easily have passed for a rabid squirrel. "I'll tell them that you're a seductive scumbag who needs not one, not two, but _three_ boys to satisfy her needs!"

Had she registered any of what I'd just said?

Whatever. Love did weird things to people.

There wasn't anything to do but go along with it. I was sick of her bullshit by then, the hallway was emptying fast, and I definitely didn't want another first-day fiasco with my super-punctual religion teacher. I mean, what would  _you_  have done?

"Fine. I'll do it," I snarled. "Happy?"

She made a strangled noise of assent, before flouncing off, hips swaying back and forth.

I groaned, banging my head against the nearest locker. "What the hell did I just do?"  
  


"You want me to what?" Hatori looked as shocked as I'd ever seen him, pen poised over his English assignment. "You do know that that isn't possible, right?"

"I know, but- it's like you said. You think I want everyone to think I'm a total slut? I mean, no one even really knew about it until-" I stopped.

"Until you spilled the beans, that is," Shigure added, appearing deeply conflicted. "I mean, I get the situation; you'd be the talk of the school. Of course, it isn't just you; the whole entire family would find themselves in a tricky spot. Dealing with hoards of angry high school girls would not make Akito happy in the slightest. Besides, it's a huge part of our agreement: your dealings with us were supposed to be strictly confidential."

"Ugh, I screwed up everything, didn't I?" I groaned, banging my head on the glass coffee table. "Hatori, could you  _please_  go on a date with her? You know she's not gonna shut up about it, right? She has this crazy obsess-"

"Here's the thing," Ayame added, "if she likes him so much, how do we know she won't try to get touchy-feely with him if we set them up?"

"Yes, the probability of him transforming is scarily high," Shigure noted, his brow furrowed in concentration. "But yeah, seems like there's nothing left to do. Ha'ri just has to suck it up and just go on the date."

Hatori narrowed his eyes at him. "Just how many dates have you been on, Shigure?"

"Tons," he said wryly, grinning. "What can I say, the ladies are all over me!"

"Dates not instituted by prostitution, bribery, or blackmail, I mean."

"Ouch, Ha'ri, that's just cruel!"

"Never mind that," I cut across them quickly, turning to Hatori and pleading, "Please, Hatori? You know we can't just leave this alone."

"Just so you know, I've never been on a date before," he said stiffly, taking great interest in his steaming cup of green tea. "Even if we did carry out the plan, who can guarantee whether or not she'll be satisfied?"

"Yes, that's it!" I sat up, nearly elbowing Shigure in the face. "Sorry, not sorry. Anyways, satisfied? Who said we had to  _satisfy_ her? One date was the deal!  _One._  Not as many as she wanted. Yes, yes, this is brilliant!"

"Care to enlighten us, Sukochi?" he said coolly.

"Of course!" I tried to cool the heat rising on my cheeks. "Right, right...okay, so, why don't we make Hatori seem as undesirable as possible? Messy hair, stained shirt, man, we can really go all out on this one. A chance to get your artistic prowess to shine, Aya. Think hobo, retro-style. All we can do is make him seem super gross so she'll unlike him and hope for the best!"

"But Ha'ri's a natural-born gentleman!" Shigure protested. "You can't make him something he isn't! It's a violation of his rights!"

"You're the  _last_  person I want to hear that from," Hatori deadpanned.

"Can we please just try it?" I begged, exasperated. "I mean, do you have a better idea?"

"Alright," Hatori said slowly, "say we did carry out this ridiculous plan of yours. What if we've underestimated her feelings for me and she still tries to hug me? What then?"

"Easy." I waved my hand dismissively, nearly trembling with a twisted mixture of excitement and trepidation. "She never said where the date had to be, did she? So we set it up somewhere we can closely watch you without being caught. The park, let's say. We can disguise ourselves and follow you around. Just avoid secluded areas so we don't look suspicious, and it's a piece of cake. If she tries anything and you can't handle it yourself, we'll interfere."

"What kind of excuse can you make, though, if you end up having to shove her out of the way?" he countered.

"If we wear ridiculous costumes and a shit-ton of makeup, I bet she won't even recognize us!" I answered, with a flippant regard for the obvious kinks in the plan. "We can make up a ridiculous excuse; she'll totally fall for it!"

"And if she doesn't?"

Our eyes met, my gaze flicking away almost immediately.

"You know what happens," I said quietly.

A brief moment of silence.

"Anyways," I continued, "it won't happen! Act like a total douchebag, and it'll work like a charm. Just trust me on this one, 'kay?"

He pursed his lips, but eventually agreed,, albeit reluctantly.

Trust- it was just like me to selfishly throw around the term while I relied on others to fix my problems. The word reverberated in my head, but I grinned and went on with my math homework, humming the latest hit pop tune.

Trust was a fragile thing. I knew that better than anyone

And without batting an eye, I broke it.


	16. Congratulations

Sukochi's POV

I finished coating my pinky nail with sparkly purple nail polish, blowing on it gently and examining my handiwork, quite pleased with myself. Bobbing my head in time to the music coming from my clock radio, I hummed to myself, standing up and posing in the closet mirror. Powdery blue eyeshadow ringed my eyes, braided purple extensions hanging in front of my face. A long-sleeved black turtleneck tickled at my throat, a plaid skirt reaching my knees with a pair of uncomfortably tight leggings underneath. A dab of dark plum lipstick and chunky high-tops completed the punk look.

There was a knock on my door. Grinning to myself, I clunked in my high-heeled cowboy boots to the doorway, throwing it open and declaring in a heavily-accented falsetto, "You look wonderful, my dear!"

Hatori gaped at me. "I thought you were going for 'subtle'."

"What's life without some fun?" I clucked my tongue. "You look absolutely fantastic, by the way. Ayame really is a genius."

His hair was mussed with grease, heavy bags drawn with eyeliner ringing his eyes. He wore a pair of sagging jeans, a ketchup-stained button-down shirt, and a mustard-colored jacket, a butterfly-patterned tie hanging limp from his neck.

Just as I had hoped, his sour expression matched his wardrobe perfectly.

"Yep, I'm every bit as undesirable as I imagined," he mumbled bitterly.

"No need to sound so upset about it!" I chided, adjusting his tie. "Maybe she'll get the word out to her cronies and we won't have to deal with this stuff anymore. Two birds, one stone, am I right?"

He mumbled something incoherent in what I hoped was disgruntled assent.

"Excellent!" I trilled, striding past him to bang on Shigure's door. "Hey, doofus! You ready yet?"

"A lady needs her beauty time!" he wheezed back, before being wracked by a hacking cough. "Ugh, this perfume stinks! Where did you get it from anyways?"

"It's Minami-sensei's armpit sweat," I quipped. "Limited time only."

He made a strangled noise. "Not funny, Fujikawa!"

"Sheesh, I was joking! It's from the dollar store down the road."

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Just get changed!"

An incoherent grumble later, the door opened, revealing a disguised Shigure wearing a nondescript black hoodie, skinny jeans, and converse sneakers, a pair of Ray Bans veiling his eyes.

"Fuckin' A." I clapped him on the back, lacing my arm through his. "Now, supply check?"

"Can of Raid?" I tossed him the bug repellent from the pack slung over my back. "Money?" Hatori pulled a wad of cash and a coin purse out his back pocket. "And I've got the blowhorn, candy, and baby pacifiers...we're all good to go!" The two of us, exchanging a grin, charged down the stairs and out the door.

Too eager to listen to Shigure's mindless chatter, I glanced at Hatori, a strange feeling of dread nagging at me. He trailed a couple of footsteps behind us, his hands jammed in his pockets and eyes cast to the ground.

Oddly enough, he looked more Hatori-ish than usual.

"Pre-date jitters," Shigure murmured, as if reading my mind. "He's never gone out with a girl in his life."

I let out a bleat of nervous laughter, giving a shrug of my shoulders. What was I so worried about? Everything was going to be fine.

After about ten minutes of walking, we rounded into the leafy-green park and pushed pen the iron-wrought gates. Stepping aside, I mumbled a hasty "good-luck" to Hatori, who nodded curtly in response and shuffled forward. His hand reached instinctively for his rumpled tie, but he shook his head, sticking them back into his pockets.

"It'll work out," Shigure assured me, nudging me in the ribs. "Just trust him. And besides, if anything goes wrong, we'll be there to lend him a hand."

If I didn't know better, I'd think he was trying to convince himself more than me.

"Sohma-kun!" I watched as Hanamura bounded from a nearby park bench, seemingly unnerved by his less-than-groomed appearance.

Love was blind after all. She didn't even notice us trailing just a few meters behind her.

Hatori led her to a small clearing concealed by trees, patting a mossy picnic bench and gesturing for her to sit down. She giggled, easing herself onto the wooden surface and smoothing down her pink tulle skirt.

Shigure pressed a finger to his lips, and I nodded. We crouched down behind a bushel of thorny shrubs, peeking between the branches at the chatting couple.

"Thanks for coming today!" she chirped, resting her chin on her interlaced fingers.

"It's fine," he replied stiffly, before clearing his throat. "You look nice."

"Aw, you're sweet," she simpered. A breeze tousled her braided hair. "Weather's nice today, isn't it? Fall is my favorite season. You know, with all the colorful leaves. When I was little, I used to take some of the red ones and make them look like fish. My mom pressed them for me, so I have, like, a million notebooks filled with leaves. Pretty dorky, huh? I'll show them to you next time, if you'd like."

 _Next time?_  I fumed silently, and Shigure shot me a warning look.

"Yes, pretty leaves," he muttered.

"So, about Fujikawa," she started, her head tilted in girlish curiosity, "you probably know that I got her to arrange this. How did she ask you?"

Hatori seemed at a loss for words. "Well, she told me an acquaintance of hers was interested in taking a stroll in the park with me, and I...accepted."

I sighed. Hatori, while a man of impeccable virtue, couldn't act disgusting to save his life. I should have realized that he was polite and stuffy to the core, that we couldn't stamp the gentleman out of him no matter how hard we tried. I mean, he couldn't even act like a snob in front of the girl who was literally drooling for him.

Oh well. We'd just have to hope for the best.

"Oh," she sniffed, looking put out. "I'm just curious...what do you think of Fujikawa?"

"Well, she's a close friend of mine," Hatori said calculatingly, refusing to meet her gaze, idly tapping his fingers against the picnic table. "She had some...family complications, so she came to live with us. Connections, as she said- I believe she told you that. Her father was formerly in employment with the head of our family."

"Yes, yes, she did," she laughed it off. "And, head of your family? Sounds fancy. What's he like?"

"Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to interact with him," Hatori replied without missing a beat. Good at lying, but awful at being anyone other than his usual self. In my experience, a horrendous combination. "He's very frail and in constant need of medical attention. I'm slated to be the next family doctor, so it's my job to ensure that he's as comfortable as possible. It's quite the task."

"I'm sure it is," she assured him, breathy. Phony bitch. "How does one manage the affairs of an entire family while being in such poor health?"

"Our family is larger than you may think. We're quite wealthy, so there's plenty of cushioning room to afford attendants. Shigure and Ayame take care of him, too."

Turning to Shigure, I pointed a finger gun towards my temple, miming shooting myself. He pressed a finger to his lips once again, stifling a snicker.

The conversation continued for about a half an hour, Hanamura excitably blurting out questions, and Hatori answering them with his signature aura of studied neutrality.

Eventually, they opened the bentos she had packed especially for the occasion.

"Goddammit," I muttered to Shigure, leaning over him and squinting. "We should have brought some binoculars."

"To see her bentos?" he asked, incredulous.

From what I could see, the lunch sparkling from a pair of matching black boxes included glutinous rice sprinkled with seasoning, pickled cabbage, deep-fried shrimp, a slab of glistening salmon, tomatoes, and even a trio of cute octopus wieners. Fucking octopus wieners- what, were we in a shoujo manga or something?

Shigure let out a low whistle. "Wow, she really went all out."

I made a strangled noise of assent.

"See, I made them match!" she gushed, gesturing towards the boxes. "Eat up!"

After muttering a quick "itadakimasu", he split open his chopsticks and took a measured bite of salmon. His eyes widened. "You're quite the talented cook, Hanamura-san."

"He wasn't supposed to compliment her!" I groaned. "That so was  _not_  in the plan."

"Like I said, Hatori's a gentleman, through and through."

"Well, you don't have to sound so happy about it!"

 

More and more chatter, blah blah blah. I sighed, massaging my temples in frustration. Couldn't they hurry it up? He had to want to leave as much as I did. I mean, she was practically gnawing his goddamn ears off.

Hatori glanced pointedly at his watch. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have to get going soon. I'll buy you an ice cream on our way out."

He stood up, dusting off his pants and holding out a hand to her.

She scrambled to her feet, her eyes brimming with tears as she struggled to find the words to speak. "Sohma-kun, you-you-"

Time seemed to freeze as she reached out for him.

Oh no. Here it was.

The plan, which I was so sure would go off without a hitch, had failed

I clambered to my feet, hurriedly shaking the leaves out of my hair and beginning my mad dash towards Hatori. Shigure jumped over the bush and snatched at my wrist, hissing, "Fujikawa-chan!" He yanked me towards him, forcing me to stumble back a step. My foot catching against a gnarled tree root, I lost my balance, toppling backwards until I-"

Shigure caught me in his arms, and with a loud poof, disappeared from behind me.

"Fujikawa?" Hanamura asked, eyes wide and lips trembling. "W-what are you doing here? What's going on?"

_Oh God. What have I done?_

I turned around. A medium-sized black dog had taken Shigure's place, entangled in the mess of his mismatched getup. I gasped, quickly throwing his hoodie on top of him. "It's not what it looks like!" I rambled, laughing sheepishly. "Shigure's a bit of trickster, you know. I keep telling him to enter a magic show, but he-" Faltering, I finally gave up, squeezing my eyes shut.

_Don't look at Hatori, don't look at him, you can't, you can't-_

"I-I don't understand," Hanamura blabbered. "You- he just turned into a dog. Sohma, he...he caught you, and then he-"

She stopped, cut off by a loud thump.

I tentatively opened my eyes, before gasping. Hatori had a palm pressed against her forehead, his face eerily impassive. He turned away, shifting into a crouching position and draping his jacket over her unconscious form. "Go home with Shigure," he said, standing up. "I'll call and get help from the estate. Make sure he gets home safe."

Blinking back tears, I reached for his hand. "Hatori, I-"

"Please go," he murmured, not unkindly. "There's no need to apologize. It was just an accident, after all."

"Is Hanamura-"

"She'll be fine."

A paw tugged at my skirt. I looked down, surprised to see Shigure jutting his chin towards the park's exit. "Let's go", he said, and began trotting down the path.

I bundled his clothes in my arms, stuffing them in my pack. Glancing back at Hatori, I shook my head, brisk-walking to catch up to Shigure. "Let's hurry," I said, scooping him up. "We can't have you transforming back before we get home."

Just a couple of blocks until we reached home. Just until then.

 

By the time we reached the estate, I was panting heavily, banging on the thick gates with my fist. "Please! Let us in." They creaked open, almost if on cue. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I ran towards our house, nearly tripping over the cobblestone paths.

Ayame was kneeling on the floor when we arrived back home, sewing a button onto a white-collar shirt. He gaped at the sight of his cousin, who waved a dejected paw. "You- Shigure! Fujikawa-chan, what's going on?"

"No time to explain," I wheezed, rushing up the stairs. "Call Hatori and ask him if he's alright! He might need help!" Bursting into his bedroom, I tossed Shigure onto the floor and slammed the door shut behind me.

_In and out, Fujikawa. In and out._

Exhaling shakily, I leaned against the wall, idly pulling out a loose purple hair extension.

A couple of seconds later, a popping noise sounded from the other side. Milky smoke pooled from a tiny crack underneath the door.

"Just in the nick of time, huh?"

I could hear Shigure's deep breathing. "Don't be so hard on yourself. It was every bit my fault as it was yours."

"I know, I know but I can't help but feeling...it's like a chain reaction. If I hadn't opened my big mouth and pissed her off, we wouldn't have had to go on this crazy date. And if I hadn't overreacted-"

"He would have transformed anyways," Shigure cut me off. "Which, as you know, is about ten thousand times worse than my transformation. You did what could, Fujikawa-chan. That'll have to be enough for now."

I hesitated. "I'm just- hey, what he did back there- was that-"

"His hypnosis?" I made a noise of assent, suddenly feeling very small. "Yep. Basically, what should have happened to you."

Even though I knew he didn't mean it in that way, his comment still stung, biting into me and nipping at my guilt. "Yeah. I know. We're just lucky no one else was there to see what happened, I guess."

"You're right. But still...I'd watch out if I were you."

I froze. "Wait, what?"

"We promised you wouldn't cause any trouble, remember? Ha'ri hasn't had to erase anyone's memories for a while now, so he'll know you-"

"Shit, shit, shit!" I swore under my breath. "Does that mean he'll-"

"I don't know what it means. We'll just have to wait and see."

I slid further down the wall, burying my head in my hands. Stupid, stupid, stupid. "How can you stay so calm? I'm just, I-"

The door clicked open, and his melancholy smile nearly broke my heart.

"Believe me, Fujikawa-chan. I'm used to this."

 

There was a sharp rap on our door.

I bolted up from my place in the living room, rushing to push the fusuma aside. "Hatori, I-"

A young girl in a kimono bowed, avoiding in my eyes. "Good evening, Fujikawa-san. I'm sorry for disturbing you, but Akito-sama would like to see you. It's urgent." 'Urgent' had sort of unofficially become our key-in for how badly we were gonna get screwed over.

"Fujikawa-chan?" Shigure poked his head out of the kitchen, eyes widening his surprise at the sight of the girl. "Hello, Keiko-chan."

She reciprocated the gesture, her lips upturned in a faint smile. "Hello, Shigure-san. Akito-sama wants to-"

"Where's Hatori?" I blurted out, unable to hold myself back any longer. "Is he alright?"

Keiko seemed taken aback by my question, but managed to compose herself. "Hatori-san is fine. He's with Akito-sama."

Shigure stepped forward, hand clapped to my shoulder. "Let me come with her. Please, Keiko-chan."

She glanced away, looking pointedly at the ground. "I'm sorry, Shigure-san, but I was specifically instructed to leave you here. Akito-sama would prefer not to see you at this time."

Swallowing back a gulp, I shook him off, taking the girl's proffered hand, doing my best to stomach the wounded look on his face. "I'll be okay, Shigure. Hatori's there. You told me to stay calm, right? I'll be okay."

Inclining her head respectfully to him, Keiko led me down the path that led to the master's house; formidable and wooden, it stared me down.

"What does she want with me?" I croaked, fear sending a mess of thoughts careening through my mind. What was going to happen to me?

Keiko wet her lips, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. "Akito-sama! She's here."

"Come in," came his raspy response.

Bowing to me once more, she moved aside and motioned to the entrance. Mumbling a thank you, I took a deep breath, before stepping inside and pushing past the beaded curtain, into the room bathed in candlelight, cast in shadow. A monitor had been positioned against the wall, the room was milling with even more attendants than usual, Akito's smirk even more sinister, but I only had eyes for the boy kneeling on the bamboo mat.

"Hatori!" I cried out, and crouched down besides him, shaking his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, I didn't-"

"Not even a hello?" Akito grabbed my chin, tilting my face so I that faced him. "Where are your manners, girl? I thought that, given how much time my precious boys have spent with you, you'd have at least learned some manners. Isn't that right, Hatori?" he crooned, sending a simpering look his way.

Hatori remained impassive, eyes locked on the candle sitting before him.

"Isn't that right?" he repeated, voice dangerously quiet. In a single jerky motion, he released me, admonishing him with a sharp slap to the face. "Answer me!"

"Yes, Akito-sama," Hatori said quietly, cheek splotched red where he had hit him.

"That's better." Akito relaxed, sitting back on his heels and leering at me. "You know why you're here, don't you, Fujikawa- _chan_?"

I flinched, unable to find the words to speak.

"You promised you'd behave, didn't you? That you wouldn't cause problems for our family?"

I nodded, choking back a gulp.  _He can't hurt you. He can't hurt you._

"Hatori has already explained everything to me." He threw a loving glance at the boy. "You're a bad, bad girl, aren't you? I knew this wouldn't work out. Three boys living with one girl? That was bound to warrant some unwanted attention. You agree, no?"

I finally couldn't take it anymore. "Yes, but I never imagined-"

"Silence!"

The tiny flame wavered.

Softer, he asked, "You don't deny that this is your fault, right? Poor girl, memories erased, mind tampered with...you wouldn't want to be her, would you? Hopelessly confused, family in disarray at their daughter's sudden amnesia. Did you hate her enough to force this onto an innocent young girl, Fujikawa-chan? Did you hate me enough to cause us such trouble? Hush money doesn't come in small sums, you know."

"Hush money?" I breathed, in disbelief.

"Yes, hush money," Akito snarled. "You know how the hypnosis works, don't you? It's impossible to erase a single fragment of one's memory. That girl doesn't remember a thing about Kaibara High!"

All the breath was sucked out of me in that instant.

Oh God, I hadn't bargained on that, hadn't even stopped to consider the possibility of failure, what would happen to Hanamura if my plan was botched. Her friends, her family, her entire school life...all gone, just because of my stupid mistake?

Akito seemed to revel in my despair. "Well, darling? What're you gonna do now?" When I didn't respond, his lips curled into a sneer, and he beckoned to the nearest attendant, whispering something in her ear. She nodded hastily, pulling a remote out of her pocket and pressing the "on" button.

The monitor buzzed to life, the blurry footage of a tiny figure appearing. The figure- a girl, with pony-tailed brown hair- knocked at the gate. "Nee-chan?" her tinny voice called. "Nee-chan, are you-" The doors swung open, and two masked men yanked her inside, ignoring her repeated calls of my name. She shrieked and shrieked, the gates slamming shut and drowning out her hysterical pleas.

I should have known. Why had I let myself get so complacent?

They wouldn't have let me go so easily.

Akito gestured to the attendant, who turned the monitor off. "That was two hours ago."

"What have you done with her?" I rasped, struggling to keep my anger in check. The satisfied on his face set my blood boiling. And suddenly, it all exploded, and I lashed out, snatching the collar of his kimono. "What have you done with Kiyomi?"

Hatori grabbed the back of my shirt, restraining me.

"You can't let them do this!" I begged him. "Please, Hatori! Please!"

Akito smirked at me, drinking in my despair. "Nothing yet, fortunately for you. She's safe- for now."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked, shaking uncontrollably.

_Keep it together, Fujikawa._

His smile broadened, almost too large, too cartoonish for his face. "All you have to do is promise me you won't leave the family until you finish high school." He presented a sheet of paper.  _Sign here,_ the empty line seemed to whisper, beckoning me forward.

"Your father disappeared, and your mother stopped caring, and the Sohmas are right in the palm of my hand," he taunted. "Your move, my darling."

I'd lived sheltered for so long, but now it was time for me to take action, step forward and stop relying on others to fix my problems. There was no Hatori for me to duck behind, no father or mother or stepdad to push the blame on, no Daichi to chide me and hold me back. It was the first time I felt truly alone.

And no way in hell was I letting Akito anywhere near Kiyomi.

I would never be able to forgive myself if I did.

"You'll let her go?" I signed my name, keeping my gaze level with his.

"Immediately." He plucked the paper from my grasp, handing it to a male attendant. "So it's a done deal. No seeing your family until you graduate. You are an official member of the Sohma household. Welcome to our big, happy family." He gestured for his attendants to kneel before me, Hatori following.

Akito took my hand. His palm was cold and clammy, smile downright venomous.

"Congratulations, sweetheart."


	17. Goners

Sukochi's POV

I watched in dread as the two class representatives, Nakashima and Inoue, following their announcement regarding vandalism in the boy's bathroom, unfurled the next topic of discussion: the coveted cultural festival.

The school-wide affair ridden with cheap rice noodles, raunchy pop songs, and home movies, the festival wasn't something I had exactly enjoyed at my old school. If memory served me correctly, my class had performed a mini-skit that was an adaption of some old Japanese legend- not the sort of event that typically goes swimmingly, especially when you're wearing a bunny suit and your nemesis is there to hit you on the head with a rice cooker.

Where was I going again?

Right. The cultural festival.

Nakashima brushed her bangs out of her face, shuffling a set of papers. "So, any ideas? We're open to anything at this point."

I glanced at Hanamura's empty desk, a vase in her place; thought of my sister's number, erased from my phone.

That was the price I had paid.

But what about Hatori? He'd done the dirty work for me. He was the one who'd gone through with the petty scheme I'd designed to fix the mistake I'd made, the one who pressed his hand against her forehead and watched as her memories drifted away.

Irreplaceable, irreplaceable memories.

"-onigiri-sampling? Sounds great." Inoue picked up a stub of chalk, writing it on the blackboard. "Anyone else?"

Ayame waved his hand enthusiastically in the air. The two reps exchanged a glance, before calling on him reluctantly. "Yes, Sohma? Um, Ayame Sohma that is."

"A photo shoot!" he exclaimed, spreading his arms. "See, we could get a collection of costumes, people would come try them on, we'll photograph them, and they'll pay us for the end result!"

The class murmured in assent.

I relaxed. Well, that seemed harmless enough.

Turning my head to the side, I caught Hatori's eye, before remembering, my gaze flitting away and locking on a wad of gum glued to the surface of my desk.

Even though two months had already passed by, we'd never been able to ease the awkwardness between us.

Inoue rubbed his chin in apprehension. "That would be a cool project, but the question is...how would we be able to make sure everyone had a hand in it? The way you described it made it sound like a job for just a couple of people."

Ayame slapped a hand on his desk, a fire blazing in his eyes. I instinctively edged away- it would take the entire Japanese police forced to subdue him now that he had gotten himself riled up. "Did I say 'get'? I meant make!"

Nakashima raised an eyebrow at him. "...come again?"

"The costumes!" he spluttered in near anguish. "The costumes! We design them, we get the materials, we make them ourselves! We could organize a whole commission, of which I would-"

"-be the leader," I mumbled under my breath. Shigure barely stifled his snicker.

"Thank you, Fujikawa-chan!" Ayame said, without missing a beat, before amending hastily, "Of course, that's not to say that I can't have a number of deputies! Advertisers too, to sit outside of our classroom and tell people about our amazing project. Also, we'll need photographers- our photo-shoot will become so popular we'll have to run multiple stations to keep up with our customers! Experts in technology and whatnot, I urge you to step forward in the name of fashion!"

I banged my head against my desk, feeling a wave of pity for the reps.

"Um, all in favor?" Inoue asked.

Three-fourths of the class raised their hands.

The girl who had suggested onigiri-sampling huffed, pouting at the window.

"It's settled then," Nakashima conceded, obviously relieved that the decision-making had been resolved without much effort on her part. "A photoshoot, as suggested by Ayame Sohma."

"Oh!" Ayame piped up, smug from his victory. "One more thing we could get people to do- we'll need a model. For the costumes, I mean. When our darling peers come to see what awesomeness is stirring in this very room, our pitchers will show them the photos of our lucky model in hopes that they will be struck by the desire to-"

"Understood," Nakashima interrupted, already exhausted. "Girls, any volunteers?"

"This is just a lure," our class' resident crazed feminist muttered two seats from my right, glowering at Ayane. "Sexist pigs."

To no one's surprise, not one of the girls made a peep. I guess that the prospect of wearing clothes designed by Ayame of all people wasn't particularly tantalizing. No offense to Ayame, but I had to admit that marching around with leg warmers and a feather boa wasn't something I was particularly dying to do.

I kicked back, grinning. What unlucky bitch would have to suffer this time?

"Nominations?" Nakashima tried again.

Shigure stood up, proclaiming, "I nominate Fujikawa-chan as class model!"

I nearly choked. What the fuck was he thinking? Me, a  _model_?

"Well, I certainly don't have a problem with that!" Ayame piped up. "Our Fujikawa-chan has a lovely figure."

I gave a derisive snort. A girl three seats to the right giggled shrilly, leaning over to whisper something to her friend.

Nakashima shot me a look of pity, asking wearily, "All in favor of Fujikawa as model?"

The entire class, minus myself, raised their hands.

"It's decided, then." Inoue wrote my name on the board, impassive. "Now, who's interested in joining the costume committee?"

 

"Shigure!" I shouted, standing up as soon as the bell rung. Storming over to his desk, I grabbed him by the collar, hoisting him into the air. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Guess you're mad, huh," he remarked nonchalantly. "Well, color me surprised."

"Now's not the time for wisecracks!" I snapped, my patience wearing thin. "Answer the question!"

"You saw how happy Aya was, didn't you?" he said softly, eyes cast to the ground. "It's not often I see him that excited- and we've known each other since before either of us would even talk. You two are friends, right? You know that he loves designing more than anything. So, if he means anything to you, please do this for him. It'll be worth more if he knows you've supported him all the way through."

"Besides," he lowered his voice even more, "I thought they would be a nice thing to send to your family. They're worried about you, you know."

I grudgingly released him, sending him crashing down to his seat. "Fine. But somehow, this feels like blackmail."

He massaged his sore neck, grimacing. "That's just how I operate, sweetheart."

 

Kaibara High had already gone into crazy cultural festival mode. Posters had already been pasted to the bulletin board, piling up on top of the each other, the hallways stuffed with students teetering on ladders and hanging banners, paper chains, and calligraphy posters on the walls. Club members even started to lock themselves in their respective rooms, heads together as scenes were shot, barbeque was roasted, and generally every possible thing went wrong.

The atmosphere of our second-year class emulated the school-wide epidemic. Every day for two weeks, we held intensive planning meetings, mostly consisting of Ayame raving about his latest bunny suit or fairy princess design. By the time the festival rolled around, I had been endlessly poked and prodded by tape measures, forced into feathery two-piece dresses and bikinis of varying audacity.

Believe me when I tell you this, I was already out of my mind.

And my official modeling hadn't even started.

 

"Chin up, head high! Pout!" Ayame shouted through a broken megaphone.

I yelped in protest as the camera, manned by a squeamishly petite girl named Suzuki, flashed, nearly blinding me for the umpteenth time in the row. Having been shooting for nearly an hour by then, my legs were stiff, facial muscles aching from grinning or frowning or whatever the hell the fashion guru ordered me to do.

Not to mention my slinky white sleeveless dress and the position in which I had eloquently draped myself over a chair weren't exactly the epitome of "comfort." The ultra high stilettos didn't help either.

"How many more?" I pleaded, switching positions as per his request. "Please, just get me out of this god-awful outfit."

"Be patient, Fujikawa-chan," he chided, accepting a water bottle from a tottering assistant. "Art is art, after all."

"Easy for you to say," I said scornfully, eyeing the carton of donut holes next to his director's chair. "You're living it up over there."

"The artist needs sugar and caffeine in order to function correctly," he declared. "Switch angles, Suzuki-san. Close-up of those gorgeous cheekbones of hers. Yep, yep- that's perfect. Now!"

I moaned, eyes watering from yet another camera flash.

All in the name of friendship, of course. Although I was grudgingly moved by Shigure's monologue, my gallantry didn't extend as far as to refrain from complaining about it.

"A leotard, perhaps?" he mused, only partly to me.

"Don't you fucking dare."

 

Once the fifty some-odd pictures of me striking various provocative poses were printed and left at the front table for every to ogle (as well as splashed on various posters that had already begun to circulate around the school), my role in the cultural festival was pretty much over, save for a couple of half-hour shifts manning the cashier. Ayame, of course, was having the time of his life, running around with his committee and making last-minute improvements on the costume, re-sewing on buttons and chopping off loose threads.

Goddammit, Shigure was right. Seeing that radiant smile on his face almost made all of my stupid modeling worth it.

Key word: _almost._

Watching as students filtered into our classroom, I collected the five hundred yen toll, passing back change accordingly. Ayame and whoever happened to be on deck welcomed them, assisting them in picking out outfits and leading them to the dressing room- a fenced-off corner of the room covered by a changing screen. They then proceeded to pose awkwardly as Suzuki snapped a few quick photos, promptly printing the pictures out and handing them to our loyal customer.

One of my classmates, Fukunaga, approached me, glancing at his watch. "It's my shift now, Fujikawa. You go enjoy the festival- there's some pretty cool stuff out there."

"You go enjoy the...money collecting," I said lamely, standing up and allowing him to take my seat in the fold-up chair. "Seriously, it's very exciting."

"I can't wait." He grinned at me, before jutting his head towards the entrance of the classroom. "You know, some people are more interested in actually paying for the pictures of you than taking some of themselves. You won't believe how many pervs are eye-raping you right now, but Nakashima won't have it- something about feminism and the prostitution of holy maidens."

"That's our Nakashima, alright," I rolled my eyes, and headed for the door. "Have fun."

"Oh, wait." I turned around just in time to see him toss a blue cap my way, my hands fumbling to catch it. "Thought you might need this. As a disguise, you know."

"You're a lifesaver, Fukunaga," I proclaimed, gratefully putting it on and tilting it so the brim covered my eyes. "How do I look?"

"Completely inconspicuous," he declared.

"You're too sweet." I gave him a lopsided smile and a little wave. "See you around."

I slipped outside, covertly maneuvering around the hordes of students gathering around the classroom and accidentally tripping over a half dozen pair of feet. "Sorry," I murmured, keeping my eyes on the tiled floor and moving on before the poor unfortunate souls could get a glimpse of my face.

At a loss for what to do once I had left the safety of my classroom, I went to every festival station that I came across, eating a bowl of ramen, singing an off-key karaoke with an art history teacher, partaking in a dabble of palm-reading with the Fortune Telling Club, even listening to the Glee Club's warbly rendition of "My Heart Will Go On."

Finished with this hallway, I rounded to the next one, which, to my surprise, was nearly deserted. Shrugging, I turned to the nearest classroom. Upon walking in, however, I was bombarded by a bespectacled blonde girl who shoved a glossy magazine in my face.

"The Kaibara High Journal!" she chirped, not even pausing to greet me. "Buy a copy and get a sneak preview of our new feature presentation!"

"Um, okay." Reaching into my pocket, I jangled the change around. "How much do you need?"

After I handed over the designated two hundred yen, she sat me down in a chair close to the projector.

She flipped the light switch off, before fiddling with an archaic computer. Within moments, a jumpy pop tune began to play jauntily in the background. The same girl, a boy besides her, smiled through the crackling film. Camera poised shakily around various areas around the school, they strode over to unsuspecting students, shoving cardboard mics in their face and theatrically interrogating them.

"Um," a mousy brown-haired girl said with a tremor in her voice, "come to my club's cook-off? Ready-made ingredients for you to cook your heart out, in the main field. Prizes to our winners- teams must be four members."

"Thank you, Kobayashi-san!" she trilled, before pointing an accusing finger at a boy who had been attempting to tip-toe out of her line of sight. "You there!"

Someone knocked on the door. Startled, the girl shook herself out of her stupor, leaping to her feet and greeting the visitor. "Hi, there! Welcome to the headquarters of the Kaibara High Journal! Buy a copy and get a sneak peek at our up-and-coming documentary regarding the lives of the students at-"

"I'll take one." A male voice- young and calm and smooth. Moments later, his footsteps were quietly pattering towards me, the chair two seats over scraping against the ground as he pulled it out, taking a seat.

Glancing from the corner of my eye, I caught glimpse of the boy, lanky and lean with a mop of close-cropped rust-red hair, his eyes a murky shade of dreamy hazel. Despite my attempts at stealth, he noticed me staring at me, giving me a tiny smile and a wave. Giving a little clearing of my throat, I flushed cherry red, turning my attention back on the screen.

Who was he, and why did he look familiar? Judging by his uniform, he must have been a middle schooler passing by- Kiyomi's age, maybe. It wasn't like I knew anyone else his age, oo why couldn't I take my eyes off of him?

The short clip ended with what sounded like an opera aria, the credits rolling in thick white font.

"Would you like me to play it again, since you missed the beginning?" the girl, looking unabashedly hopeful.

"No, thank you, miss," he said quietly. "It looks like a great film, though. I'll be sure to see the whole thing sometimes."

"U-um, okay. Please come again!"

I watched as he slid out of his seat, the corner of his immaculate white name-tag flashing at me for the briefest, stillest moment.

_Hello, my name is: Kureno Sohma_

The name rang in my head, vibrating and echoing.  _Sohma, Sohma, Sohma, Sohma…_

I blinked owlishly, forcing myself to snap out of my daze. Eyes darting around the room, I barely saw the edges of his sneakers before he entirely slipped out of the room.  _Gone_.

Determined, I leapt to my feet, bowing to the girl. "Thank you!"

"N-No problem," she stammered, watching me forlornly as I bounded out of the room, magazine and teddy bear clutched to my chest.

Skidding across the floor, I saw him disappear around the hallway. "Hey!" I shouted through my cupped hands, but to no avail. Gritting my teeth, I turned the corner, shouldering my way through the huge crowd that stood before me. Shoving a plethora of flyers out of my way and fending off a slew of anime cosplayers, I stood on my tiptoes, peering around low-hung banners to glimpse the fleeting glint of his red hair.

Let me just tell you that being short and unathletic sucks balls.

I shoved the nearest person aside, squeezing between the gaps of the crowd, nearly suffocated by the soupy mixture of gyoza and perfume and dropping my magazine in the struggle. Accidentally elbowing an unfortunate person in the face, I smiled nervously in the face of his dirty glare, bouncing on the balls of my feet and watching helplessly as Kureno disappeared.

How did he manage to get through the crowd so fast?

Eventually gasping my way through the hallway, I glanced around the corner, watching as he went through a side entrance, a cool autumn breeze gusting through. I didn't think I'd ever been here before- how the hell did this kid know the school better than I did? And why on earth would he go somewhere so remote?

Determined not to lose him again, I rammed into the door, stumbling forward onto the parched soil.

"Good afternoon, Fujikawa-san."

Repressing a shriek, I slowly turned my head to the right ( _yep, yep, I'm definitely in a horror movie_ ), staring at the boy in front of me. Smiling, head tilted to the side, he seemed totally unfazed by the fact that I had followed him in a wild goose chase throughout the school.

Well, if he was really a Sohma, he was probably used to a lot worse.

Something dawned on me.

"Wait, how did you know my name?" I wondered out loud, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Who doesn't?" he said jovially, his grin refusing to budge. "You're Sukochi Fujikawa, right? The one everyone's been talking about."

He stepped forward, holding his hand out to me. "Kureno Sohma. But I guess you already knew that."

I gaped at him, before shaking his head. "If you were gonna tell me straight out, why did you run away from me? You could have saved me a lot of trouble, you know."

"Well, why did you chase after  _me_?" he laughed quietly. "It's not like I was running."

I made a strangled noise, flustered. "You're not supposed to answer my question with another one, dummy! That's the number one rule of social interaction." Calming down, I grinned sheepishly, running my fingers through my hair. "Sorry, I guess I just acted without thinking. I didn't mean to creep you out, if you really feel that way."

"Did I come off that way?" He frowned, his forehead crinkling. "Sorry for making fun of you. I'm not exactly a people person."

I was baffled. No middle schooler could possibly be this polite.

Cue the awkward moment of silence.

"I've been wanting to meet you for a while, Fujikawa-san," he said mildly. "In fact, I wouldn't have risked coming here today if I didn't."

"I suppose I should be honored?" I asked icily.

He chuckled softly. "No, not really. I don't think quite that highly of myself, no. I'm close to Akito-sama, you see- he doesn't let me out of his sight very often. I've been hearing about you for ages, though, this incredible girl who charmed her way into the Sohma Estate." His gaze sharpened in intensity. "Tell me, Fujikawa-san...how did you do it?"

Taken aback, I only managed to shrug. "No idea. I'm about as ordinary as they come- I guess I just got lucky. It happens sometimes."

"You can't chalk it up to luck in this family; Akito-sama must've seen something in you," he insisted. "Nothing else but that could have brought you here. It's a wonder you're still...you know."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You mean- not hypnotized?"

He shrugged. "What else?"

There was another brief moment of silence, followed by a chorus of bird chirps.

A tiny brown bird with a puffy white breast hopped into a view, spindly legs balancing on a thin branch. Kureno, suddenly stricken by something that looked a little like hope, inched forward, holding a trembling finger out. After taking another cautious step forward, the bird let out a sharp caw, wings beating against the wind as it fled.

Kureno retracted his hand sadly, watching as it disappeared among a canvas of deep, deep blue. "They fly away now," he said mournfully. "They always used to play with me, but now they treat me like anyone else. I thought this would be blessing, but sometimes, it's just as bad."

Puzzled and about to open my mouth, I stopped, suddenly realizing it.

It made so much sense now.

Kureno Sohma was the rooster.

But if birds were supposed to answer to his every beck and call, what had happened?

He suddenly enveloped me in a tight hug, the edges of his hair brushing against my forehead. Gasping, I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for a small "poof" and a tiny bird where he had once-

Five, ten, thirty seconds.

Nothing.

No poof, no bird in my arms.

"This is who I am now, Fujikawa-san," he whispered, holding me closer.

The curse- he had somehow broken it.

"How?" was all I could manage.

"I don't know," he said glumly, shaking his head.

"Tell me how," I repeated, a little more insistent this time. "I have to know."

"I can't, Fujikawa. I don't know." And he really meant it. But I wasn't ready to give up.

"Please, you have to-"

"Fujikawa-chan?"

I looked up, startled. Shigure was peering around the side of the building, his eyes widening in shock at the sight of him. "What are you- Kureno? Is that you?"

"We'll meet again, sometime," Kureno murmured, giving my hand one final squeeze, and disappeared with a whirl of the autumn leaves.

"Wait, don't go!" I begged, but he was long-gone.

My only lead, just like his birds, had vanished.


	18. Uncertainties

Sukochi's POV

The mantra of _Kureno Sohma, Kureno Sohma, Kureno Sohma_  rang continuously through my head while I was sitting at the edge of my bed, rocking on my heels and clutching my cultural festival teddy bear.

I had met the answer. He hugged me and didn't transform. Birds flew away from him as if he were a normal person, just like me. Half of the problem was that I didn't actually _know_  the solution.

From what Shigure and Kureno himself had told me, he was unusually close to Akito. Like, never-letting-him-out-of-his-sight close- quite the pesky obstacle when you wanted desperately to talk to someone. And even if I did get the chance to talk to him, what would I say? What would he tell Akito? Somehow, the prospect of him finding out that I had been ferreting around for a way to break his hold on the Sohmas wasn't particularly appealing.

And who was to say that he hadn't told him already?

A triple knock on my door jarred me out of my thoughts- Shigure's signature greeting.

Stretching my arms above my head, I shuffled to the door, flicking a few strands of hair away from my forehead in a half-hearted attempt to make myself look decently presentable. Flinging the door open, I sighed. "Shigure, what do you-"

I stopped at the sight of Hatori, who stood stick-straight in the doorframe and held out a steaming cup of tea. "Can I come in?" he asked stiffly, gesturing to my clothes-strewn room. "You haven't left your room all day, so I thought you might be thirsty."

"We do this a lot, don't we?" I quipped, painfully aware of the slight quiver in my voice.

"For the past few months? No, not so much," he replied matter-of-factly, surprising me with his forwardness. Hatori Sohma wasn't known for his blunt remarks.

I huffed. "Okay, fine. I see your point. But did you really have to pretend you were Shigure? That's identity theft, you know."

He didn't look the least bit guilty. "It was a necessary measure. I thought you might not open the door if you knew it was me."

Well, he _was_ right. Now that he was here, I wasn't particularly inclined to sit down and have a nice chat with him. But I couldn't refuse to let him in, could I? I mean, it  _was_  his house.

Reluctantly stepping to the side, I allowed him to pass through, finally accepting the scalding-hot mug. For a moment, it looked as if he was planning to perch on the edge of my bed as per usual, but he changed his mind halfway through, easing himself into the chair just next to my closet.

I took a sip of the tea for lack of a better option. "So, um...what's up?"

"Shigure told me about what happened with Kureno," Hatori said coolly. Straight to point as usual, it seemed.

I rolled my eyes, exasperated. "Of course he did. God, can I trust  _anyone_ in this house?"

"Well, trust me," he said, keeping his eyes level with mine. "I think I know you well enough to predict what you're going to do."

I scoffed. "Excuse me?  _You_  know  _me_  well? If you did, you wouldn't have-"

"Shut you out?" Hatori finished, and I nodded curtly. "I don't blame you for anything that happened, Fujikawa, and I'm sorry if it ever seemed that way. I never meant to hurt you- I just figured you needed some time to think things over, some space. So if you're ready to put it behind us, we should meet each other halfway."

Despite everything, I smiled grimly. "Well, if you really feel that way, you could have just  _told_ me. I guess we're both just too damn stubborn- honestly, we could have avoided a shit-ton of trouble if we talked about this sooner." I paused. "I'm guessing you planned that whole speech?"

Without missing a beat, his lips curved into a smile. "You know me too well."

We lapsed into comfortable silence.

"Onto business." Hatori cleared his throat. "It won't do you any good to go after Kureno, Fujikawa. It isn't worth the risk."

I felt a twinge of annoyance. "You don't understand, Hatori. This is something I  _have_ to figure out. To repay my debt- I won't be able to live with myself if I let you go on like this."

"This isn't about  _understanding_ ," he snapped, "this is about  _your_ safety over something I've lived with for seventeen years. We've gone through this together, haven't we? You're our responsibility, Fujikawa- you don't owe us a thing."

"Bullshit!" I retorted, my temper flaring again. "I'm not a child, Hatori, so stop treating me like I'm one! I'm perfectly-"

"Maybe this isn't about you," he said, his voice somehow both icy and burning, but in the quiet way I had come to associate with Hatori.

"I beg your pardon?"

"What if this isn't just about you?" Hatori continued. "The three of us grew up with only each other to rely on, and then you come along and treat us like we're not outsiders, and you think we're not the least bit worried about you? That we don't want you to get hurt because of our carelessness? If the curse is broken at your expense, do you think that we'd ever be able to forgive ourselves?"

But  _was_  it for them? Or was it purely for my own self-satisfaction?

"Call us selfish if you'd like, but it's the truth." Hatori stood up, dusting his pants off. "By the way, we were about to go shopping again- for lunch ingredients, I mean. You know, since Shigure fancies himself a world-class gourmet chef."

"Ridiculous top hat and all," I finished, before shaking my head. "But I think I'll pass. I need time to...consider things."

Hatori didn't seem particularly convinced, but decided not to push it. "See you later, Sukochi."

"Yeah, you too."

I slumped onto my bed, feeling the sheets and blankets bunch up underneath my weight. A few quiet murmurs and footsteps later, I heard the tell-tale sound of the fusuma sliding shut. After deeming them an inadequate distance away, I bolted up, stepping up.

Something soft cushioned my foot.

Looking down, I saw the poor teddy bear, poked and prodded until the stuffing was poking out.

The proverbial lightbulb went off in my head.

There was someone I had to see.

 

Easing past the artfully arranged boulders and pond of koi, I rang the doorbell of the humble abode of Kazuma Sohma, a teddy bear tucked under my arm. A soft patter later, the fusuma was slid open, revealing the always elegant Kazuma, as impeccably dressed as ever.

"Fujikawa-san!" he exclaimed, positively beaming at me. "My, my, this is quite the surprise. It's been far too long since you've visited." The last time I had dropped by had been during the dying throes of our summer vacation. "Kyo's been asking for you- I presume you're here to see him?"

I hesitated. "Actually...no. There was something I wanted to talk to you about. In private, please."

If he was surprised he didn't show it, merely plastering a cordial smile on his face and gesturing to his living room. "Very well then. Kyo's taking a nap right now, so we don't have to worry about any interruption. He sleeps deeper than anyone I've ever known."

"I can imagine." I allowed myself a brittle laugh, taking a seat and sliding my legs underneath the kotetsu, setting the teddy bear next to me. Barely a moment later, a cup of tea was slid in front of me, as if he had been expecting me all along. "Were you really surprised to see me?"

He eased himself down into the seat next to me, smile never wavering. "I had a hunch. So, Fujikawa-san...to what do I owe this pleasure?"

I shrugged. "I have a feeling you know, but…here goes: I met a certain someone the other day- a certain Kureno Sohma."

"Ah, Kureno- yes, I know all too well that Akito-sama isn't particularly happy about his breaking the curse," Kazuma noted. "Shigure told me about your ill-fated meeting. I understand how you're feeling, Fujikawa-san, but arranging a meeting between you two is something out of my control."

I tried again. "Isn't there-"

"-something else you can do? No, not much, especially if you want to stay in Akito's good graces. I'm sure he has his suspicions about you already, and it wouldn't do you any good to confirm them." He reached over the table to take his hand in mine, and I could feel every groove and callous etched into his palm. "I have a feeling you're disrespecting your friends' wishes right now. Is that really what you want to do, Fujikawa-san? They don't want you hurt because of them."

First Hatori, and now Kazuma?

But I couldn't just give up now.

"What happens to me is my fault," I insisted. "Sohma-san, I have to do this. You won't even have to get involved- I'm completely willing to take responsibility for this. Just...help me find him."

Kazuma opened his mouth, but faltered. Finally, he nodded, pointing to the teddy bear. "I was just wondering...why did you bring that here?"

Um...okay. But I guess I could humor him a bit. "Oh, this? Just something for Kyo. I got it at the cultural festival."

I could practically see the gears whirring in his head. "You met Kureno at the cultural festival, didn't you?"

"Um, yeah."

"Was it with you when you talked? Do you think he'd recognize it?"

"I guess?"

A smile spread across his face. "I just might have an idea."

 

Almost a week after my meeting with Kazuma, I spent nearly every waking moment thinking about the note inserted between the loose stuffing. On a searingly slow Friday afternoon of class, I stepped on a whopping total of seven feet, dropped a stack of heavy math textbooks on Nakashima's head, and merely murmured "note" whenever my teachers caught me off guard with a question.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Shigure asked after I stumbled out of my Minami-sensei-perpetrated detention (offense: being an imbecile), unable to get  _note note note_  out of my mind. "You've been kind of off lately."

"It's nothing," I blurted out, too loud, too defensive. "It's just, you know...stress! Yep, that's it, stress. Lots of stress."

He arched an eyebrow at me, obviously unconvinced, but didn't push it. "Um, okay. But...is it just me, or have things gotten even more awkward between you and Ha'ri?"

I winced, remembering the day of our shouting match. "Not really. It's sort of always been like this with him. I guess our personalities just clash too much for us to get along."

"If that's what you think, Fujikawa-chan."

I shot him a reproachful look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He stifled a snicker. "Nothing."

I rolled my eyes, lost in a tangle of thoughts and the buzzing quiet until we had finished the walk home. Although some part of me was disappointed that Kazuma hadn't contacted me all week, I had to be understanding, after all, he was risking quite a bit for my ridiculously high demands, and if he-

Shigure shoved tapped my shoulder, jarring me back to reality.

Kazuma Sohma, perched in the space right in front of our house, was smiling mysteriously, teddy bear perched upon his lap.

_Oh shit._

Resisting the urge to shriek and run up to him and demand for the teddy bear, I took carefully measured steps towards him, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. "Hey, Sohma-san. What's up?"

I caught his subtle wink. "Kyo thanks you for your present, but he thinks you need it more than he does." He gingerly placed the bear in my arms, inclining his head respectfully to Shigure before quite literally gliding away.

"So, wanna tell me what _that_  was about?" he asked, giving me a puzzled look.

I shrugged, desperately fighting down the temptation to rip the teddy bear in half and find what I hoped was his message. "Hell if I know."

Stepping into the house, I immediately headed for the stairs, but he stopped me. "Fujikawa-chan...are you okay? Because if you aren't, you can always-"

"Oh, come on, 'Gure! Just because I'm not being a glutton as always doesn't mean something's wrong!" I chirped, tearing myself out of his grasp. "Now if you'll excuse me, there's some studying that needs to be taken care of." I flounced up the stairs, leaving a faintly-bemused Shigure behind. Once I had shut the door and vanished into the sanctuary of my room, I stuck my fingers into all of the bear's openings where the stitches had come loose, finding a thin slip of paper jammed between its buttocks.

Well, at least the guy had a decent sense of humor.

 _I'm honored you took such pains to contact me,_ the note read.  _But as you already know, finding a time to talk is rather difficult. After sunset, on the evening of November 17th, underneath the tree four courtyards to your left. See you there?_

I thanked God for Kazuma, crumbling the note and pressing it to my chest.

At last, I would have my answer.

 

After I had determined that all three cousins were tucked safely away in their respective corners of the house, I shouted that I was going for a short walk, before slipping into my black peacoat and stepping outside into the chilly night air. Mumbling his instructions under my breath, I stopped in front of a sakura tree, ducking under its branches in the hopes that I wouldn't be seen by a stray passerby. Kureno had been smart to choose this location; it was at the very edge of the inner estate, not anywhere near visible from the main house.

A hand brushed against my shoulder, terrifying the living daylights out of me. Clamping a hand over my mouth to stifle a scream, I exhaling shakily upon realizing who it was. "Holy crap, you scared me."

"Sorry," he mumbled. I could only make out his silhouette in the darkness, but saw that he had his shoulders hunched and was standing on the balls of his feet- just like a bird, I thought, ready to take flight at a moment's notice.

"About the curse, Fujikawa-san, well, I understand how you feel, but honestly...I don't know how I broke it."

I couldn't believe it. No, this couldn't be happening.

"You can't be serious," I croaked.

"But it's the truth," he insisted, sounding just about as desperate as I felt. "Listen to me, Fujikawa-san. I want to free everyone from it much as you do, but...I can't. One day, I woke up feeling different. I felt  _free_. Not in the same way flying did, but it was like I could do anything without being afraid. I want the same for everyone else, but I don't know  _how_. You have to understand." He placed a hand on my forearm, but I shoved him away, stumbling backwards.

"But I can't," I said, holding back hot tears. "God, if you were just gonna say that, why did you agree to see me in person?"

"You wouldn't have believed me if I didn't, would you?" he asked, holding his gaze level with mine. "You would've kept asking and asking, and I would have said it over and over again. Disappointing you hurts me, Fujikawa-san, more than you'll ever know."

As much as I hated it, he was right. I was being silly and irrational; my expectations had been astronomically high from the get-go. Kureno was just a kid.

Just a kid.

"I'm sorry. For everything, I mean. Getting you into this mess and all, so I'll just-" In the process of backing away, I nearly tripped over my own feet, about to hit the ground when a pair of hands caught me.

"I think that's enough, Sukochi," Hatori said, gently propping me back up, his hand never leaving my shoulder. "It's time for you to go, Kureno-kun. Akito-sama is waiting for you."

Kureno nodded solemnly, murmuring another apology and bowing to me, and took off into a nearby clump of trees. He vanished almost silently, the rustle of the leaves the only remnants of his presence.

I finally managed to shrug Hatori off, whipping around to scowl at him. "What the hell was that for?"

"You disobeyed me," was all he said, totally ignoring my question.

"And so what if I did?" I spat back, fuming. Who did this guy think he was? "It's none of your business, anyhow."

"Sukochi."

"What is it now?"

"I'm sorry."

Before I could respond, his hands were cupping my cheek, pressing his lips to mine.

Mind you, I _had_ kissed boys before, but that was when I had perfected the art of school-transferring and had been quite the promiscuous fourteen-year-old. But had any of those guys been so abrasive? Kissing him was like the equivalent of shoving a meat grinder into my mouth and sawing at my bottom lip. Not to demean Hatori's kissing skills, of course; I mean, it wasn't like he had any experience or anything.

Wait, was I honestly thinking about meat grinders while being  _kissed?_ What girl gets kissed by a boy who is not at all bad-looking despite being somewhat passive aggressive and overbearing and thinks of  _that?_

Meanwhile, I was fast running out of breath. At the very moment when I was sure that I would pass out if I held on another second longer, I pulled away and stare at him, wide-eyed and at a total loss of what to do next.

Um, so what did I think of the kiss? Even I couldn't figure out whether I liked it or not. All I really got out of it was the shock and the usual feeling of having my face suctioned off.

So what was a confused girl to do when just being kissed by someone she isn't sure she even likes?

Well, sunshine- fucking kiss him again.

And that's what I did. Albeit minus the whole uncomfortable rain ordeal and the sexy waist-grabbing or chest-clutching because, yes, even in a fuzzy mindset, I didn't want my kissee to spontaneously transform into a seahorse during what I thought to be a pretty romantic moment. So I just sort of awkwardly gripped his shoulders and leaned my forehead against his and kissed him over and over. A lot less suction and teeth and tongue, the kiss grew more slow and searing and sort-of passionate.

When we finally came up for air, my lips had been bruised to death, and I was in total disbelief that I had just kissed  _Hatori_ \- an opportunity the girls at school could only dream about.

"So, uh, now what?" I breathed, hoarse. From what I could tell, he seemed to be in a similar frame of mind.

"I...don't really know," he faltered, as unsure as I'd ever seen him. "Sorry."

"Why the hell are you apologizing?" I demanded. "Sure, it was sort of awkward, but...I kind of enjoyed it. How long have you been planning this?"

"Not at all," he admitted. "It came to me all of a sudden, and I...went through with it. Not that I don't like you, of course."

"Like... _like_ like?" I cursed myself for sounding like such a kid. "You mean, like, non-platonic liking?"

He nodded calculatingly. "If you don't feel the same way, then I understand."

"No!" I blurted, giggling. "It's just...you don't seem one for impromptu confessions. Or confessions, period."

Did I like him, too? Were my feelings what had been getting between our friendship all this time?

But then again, I didn't really want to face that now. After all, weren't we a bit too young to fall in love?

"Well, I'm feeling a little out-of-character today."

And, as he kissed me again, I could feel the outline of a grin on his lips.


	19. Conflicts

Sukochi's POV

"Open wide," I ordered, lifting a chopstick-ful of rice out of my bento box.

"Alright," Hatori agreed, smiling faintly as he accepted it. "Delicious."

I let the top of my head slide under his chin, careful not to move too close, the small of my back barely resting on his chest. Conceding wearily, he planted a kiss on the top of my head.

Shigure made a gagging noise at Ayame, but I only rolled my eyes. "Jealous much?"

"Not so much jealous as sort of grossed-out." He wrinkled his nose. "What's up with you two anyways? Like, are you dating or not? Five girls have already asked me today, and you know, it wouldn't exactly hurt my chances with the ladies if you gave me the low-down on your relationship status."

"Um, sort of?" I glanced at Hatori, cheeks tinged pink. "I mean, it's up to you."

I said it very nonchalantly, as to not let them in on how my heartbeat was through the roof, and how I willed him to say yes, and- oh shit, he was talking.

"If our kiss was any indication," he began, still smiling, "then yes, I suppose we are."

Ayame made a kissy face at us. "I never thought I'd see the day when our darling Ha'ri scored himself a girlfriend. And Fujikawa-chan, no less!"

"Man, you really surprised us there," Shigure added, fiddling with his phone. "I never thought  _you'd_  be the one to make a move on her first, considering how much of a chicken you actually are." Moments later, a little ding sounded from the glowing screen. "Message sent. Congrats, you are officially a couple!"

I rolled my eyes. "They actually gave you their numbers?"

He winked at me. "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do."

I wasn't sure how effed up the social system was at Kaibara, but somehow, snagging myself a boyfriend worked wonders for my popularity. Once the bell rang, signaling the end of the day, a swarm of girls would bombard me at my desk, firing away with their questions regarding how on earth I managed to seduce Sohma Hatori. The weird otaku girl I was lab partners with for this semester even asked if I'd concocted an alchemical love potion, if you'd believe that.

"So, how did you get together?" Oshiro, the resident airhead, asked me, pen poised above her notebook.

I laughed anxiously. "Haven't I told you guys before? We were fighting, and to shut me up, he kissed me. And after that...things sort of just happened. Yeah, the greatest way to hook up, what can you do?"

"When was your last date?"

"Um, last weekend?"

"Details, Fujikawa," Tsukunda, a girl whom I occasionally ate lunch with, said passionately. "You're killing us here!"

"Fine, fine." I thought back to last Saturday. "Well, we went for a walk in the park, and he surprised me by taking me this run-down ramen shop, and after that we sat a coffee shop for a little while. Nothing special, really."

"A ramen shop?" Nakashima smirked at me from the other side of the room, attacking the chalkboard with a well-worn eraser. "Doesn't sound terribly romantic to me."

The others hushed her, assuring me that she was just jealous.

"It might seem that way, but...it's a really special place for us. We had our first date there, way back when we first met."

I perked up at the voice, smiling at the sight of Hatori peering over the heads of the girls, halfway overwhelmed.

"Not so much a date as me forcing you to buy ramen," I said dryly, tipping the stack of books piled onto my desk into my bag, "but I appreciate the blind romanticism."

"I'm sorry, ladies, but it seems I have to steal my girlfriend away from you," Hatori announced, earning himself swoons and envious huffs from said ladies, tugging me away and out of the room. "See you all tomorrow."

Walking down the nearly-deserted hallways with my hand in his, I gave him a smug little smirk. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous. Afraid I won't give you the attention you deserve?"

He smiled, brushing a kiss against my forehead. "How am I supposed to spend time with you when you're always with them? Besides, I'm probably not as good of a boyfriend as they think I am. Really, this is new to me, too."

I poked him playfully on the chest. "You calling me experienced? I assure you, that was not my first kiss."

"Okay, fine. But was it the best?" he tried again.

I heaved a sigh. "Since when did you get so conceited? And no, not at all. Your lips aren't a vacuum cleaner, for Chris-" Hands cupping my face, he pressed his lips to mine in a considerably less-sucky manner. Moving up, he threaded his fingers through my hair, deepening the kiss.

"Ahem."

We broke apart, shocked to find Minami-sensei just behind us, coughing delicately into her fist.

"I trust you are aware of our fine institution's PDA policy?" she asked, reaching for her pad of pink detention slips.

"Y-yes, ma'am," I stammered, glancing at an equally-embarrassed Hatori. "It won't happen again, Minami-sensei." Swallowing nervously, I awaited her judgment. Private detention in her office, or worse yet, two weeks of hellish bathroom-cleaning duty?

She narrowed her eyes at us, but merely sighed, pocketing her pen. "Well, I'll let you off this time. But trust me when I say this: I won't be so lenient next time. Kindly do your canoodling elsewhere. Thank you and good day." Whirling around, she strutted away, hips swishing back and forth and high heels sending echoes through the empty hallway.

Once she was gone, I let out a relieved giggle, despite the harrowing situation we had barely managed to weasel out of. "Canoodling? God, that's  _so_  Minami-sensei."

"Close one, though. I nearly blighted my perfect school record," Hatori said, faintly amused.

I shoved him back playfully. "Don't joke about it. Honestly, you shouldn't tempt me like that."

He shrugged. "You seemed to like it." Noticing my sour expression, he grinned- a rarity for Hatori. "To be continued?"

Never had I been so eager to return home.

 

"Ready for another study session?" Hatori offered, entering my room.

I made a strangled noise. "Ugh."

"Don't be like that. You don't want to fail the second year, do you?" he chided, taking a seat on bedside chair, rummaging through his backpack and pulling out his science notebook.

"Implying I have bad grades?" I flopped onto my bed, entangling myself in my unmade covers and burying my face into the nearest pillow. "Not every can be a genius like you, you know." Rolling onto my back, I patted the empty space besides me. When he didn't crawl over immediately, I sighed. "Do I need to spell it out for you?"

He hesitated. "That's a privilege I haven't had in a long time."

"Well, yeah, you weren't my boyfriend then. Just get over here already."

Conceding wearily, he tucked himself inside. We kissed for a while, laying there with our noses and foreheads pressed together, legs tangled beneath the sheets. Just as I was about to lean in again, he stopped me.

"Is something wrong?"

He bit his lip- a very un-Hatori-like thing to do. "No, no, it's not you. I'm just...paranoid. I mean, we haven't been exactly subtle about our relationship, and-"

"Spit it out already." It came out harsher than I intended.

"I'm afraid of what Akito will do to you." The words came out in a rush. "He hasn't been exactly accepting of romantic relationships between- well, you know what I mean."

Anger boiled in my blood. I sat up, scowling at him. "Between who, Hatori? Are you telling me that after everything we've been through...I'm still an outsider to you?"

"I said nothing of the sort," he said, his voice brimming with quiet anger.

"Are you trying to say that you kissed me, willingly, mind you, and asked me to be your girlfriend with  _that_ in mind? Did all of that mean nothing to you?" I snapped. "What were you planning to do, make out with me for a bit and then dump me because of your stupid emotional baggage?"

He merely pursed his lips, stubbornly refusing to respond.

Ignoring him, I continued. "But you know what, Hatori? I'm sick of dancing in circles around you. If you're gonna be such a  _baby_  about it, let me ask you one thing: do you want to be with me or not?"

"Why does everything have to be such a huge production with you?" he said furiously. "You're so sensitive all of the time- can't you see I'm just trying to warn you?"

"Stop treating me like a child!" I snarled. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!"

"As you've proved so well in the past," he retorted icily, staring at the wall directly across from him.

I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. "You're so full of yourself, you know? Like I'd put myself in any real danger for  _you_. I know what I'm doing, and yes, there are risks, but you know what?  _I don't care,_ Hatori, because I _-"_ The words, those two little words, hitched in my throat.

He turned away. Déjà vu all over again, it seemed.

"We've had this conversation before. Like it or not, you're not one of us, and you never will be."

I'd heard it a million times, but somehow coming from him, it stung more than ever.

"All I want is to be enough for you," I said, my voice shaking. "But I can't. I'll never be as trapped as you are, I'll never be able to understand entirely- no, I can't deny that. But that doesn't mean I can't try. I get closer to you, and when it finally seems like I've broken your walls, you push me away again. Every time. It's just...I don't know. I'm not sure if this is right."

He propped himself on a stack of pillows, reaching for me, but I stopped him. "Please," I pleaded. "Can you just leave? I need time to think."

"Fujikawa, I-"

"Just go." I was disgusted at how desperate I sounded.

Wordlessly, he extricated himself from the sheets, departing with a quiet creak of the door.

He never told me he loved me. We kissed on a daily basis, flirted a bit, sure, but...with him, could I really be sure? Hatori Sohma, ever the enigma, drawing the blinds and hiding in his shell until even I couldn't pry my way inside.

 

Thank God for Shigure Sohma. Tossing a Totoro pillow up and down as I lounged on his bed, breathing in his musty smell, I had never felt more at home. I watched as he drew a graph, glasses perched precariously on the tip of his nose, pencil scratch after pencil scratch sounding through the room.

"I can never figure him out," I mused, hugging the plushie to my chest. "It's frustrating. Like, really, really frustrating. When I want to talk, he slips away. Just like that. Yeah, I get mad at him a lot, but...I can't help it when he's worrying about these stupid things even I don't care about."

"Try to think of it in his point of view," Shigure said, pausing in his graph-making to peer at me. "Yes, Hatori is oddly morbid and pessimistic and frankly a bit of a bore sometimes, but...he has your best intentions at heart. Sometimes, I think he just sort of mentally pinches himself to make you're real. That's how much you mean to him. He wants to keep you, yes, but not on unfair terms. If that makes any sense."

"If I'm not worried about it, I don't see why he has to be," I sighed, exhaling shakily. "I just want him to understand that I'm here for him. He doesn't have to lock himself up for my sake." I lowered my voice. "And, this is sort of irrational, but...I'm sort of getting the vibe that he doesn't like me all that much."

He rolled his eyes. " _That's_  what you're worried about? God, Fujikawa-chan- I thought you knew him a bit better than that. Ha'ri's notoriously awful at expressing his feelings. Honestly, it took everything he had to kiss you in the first place, and now that you, this unattainable thing, are actually _his_...he's not sure how to cope with it." Shigure finally gave up on his homework, standing up to sidle next to me on the bed. "He loves you so much, and if you feel the same way...give him some space, okay?"

I chuckled bitterly, clapping him on the back. "Sorry for bothering you. Honestly, I can be such a  _girl_ sometimes."

He gave me a reluctant smile. "No problem. I love playing the love doctor."

I sat up, leaning my head on his shoulder. "I'd give you a hug, but...you know."

We lapsed into a comfortable sort of silence.

"I feel like it's been a while since we've done this," he spoke up. "Just the two of us, you know, talking about deep shit."

My eyes widened in surprise. But after a moment of thinking about it, I realized he was right. In about a month or so of dating Hatori, I had managed to completely neglect Shigure and Ayame in favor of being all lovey-dovey with my boyfriend. Not to put myself on a pedestal, but...all of the times I'd shrugged them off must have really hurt.

"Oh God, Shigure, I'm so sorry," I whispered.

He shrugged. "Eh, it's okay. Not everyone in the world can be so hopelessly fascinating."

Before I could process his off-handed remark, there was a loud knock on the fusuma.

"I'll get it," I told him, reluctantly shifting out of my comfortable lounging position and shuffling downstairs. Pulling open the door, I was surprised to find a tiny square of folded paper sitting on the wood. Cautiously, I bent down to pick it up, reading the painstakingly-printed words:

_We cordially invite Sukochi Fujikawa to attend our New Year's Celebration on the day of December 31st for a night of food and dance. Arrive promptly at seven PM and dressed in traditional attire._

Puzzled, I flipped the paper over, but the opposite side was blank.

Back upstairs, I showed it to Shigure.

He pursed his lips, removing his glasses to squint at the fine print. "This is...unusual, to say the least." Noticing my confusion, he elaborated. "Well, I'll put it this way- not even the regular Sohmas -the people who live in the outer estate that is- get invited to New Year's."

A party for the cursed? He seemed to skirt around using those exact words.

I gazed in awe at the paper. "A New Year's celebration...whoa."

"It's a bit of a tradition," he said solemnly. "And, like everything else in this family, it dates back to the Edo period."

"Does that mean he's finally accepted me?" I asked once the realization dawned on me, overcome by a way of giddiness. "No one outside the zodiac's been invited before, right?"

"True," he allowed, looking as if he desperately wanted to argue.

It was stupid, to be so blindly happy about a simple invitation to a party, but after the whole boyfriend fiasco, maybe all I wanted was to prove Hatori wrong- a rather petty reason, I know- and tell him yes, I did belong. I  _was_ one of them.

Shigure pursed his lips. "It wouldn't do you well to get too excited, though. We can't be sure of what Akito is planning- really, this is far too suspicious."

I huffed in exasperation. "You, too? I literally had the same conversation with Hatori, like, ten minutes ago. I'll say it again: I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions, Shigure."

"Yes, yes, I understand," he said, patience waning with every passing moment. "Ha'ri was right- you're way too stubborn for your own good."

"Excuse me?" I snapped. "I'm doing this, whether you like it or not."

He rolled his eyes. "You're missing the point."

"Whatever. I'm going to the party, and that's final." I was about to perform the old-fashioned teenager walkout, but Shigure's firm hand on the doorknob stopped me. I glared at him, trying to appear as intimidating as possible- not an easy thing to do, considering that he had fifteen centimeters of height on me. "What now?

"Let me make something clear." He pinned me against the door, hands on other sides of my head. "I'm done with playing the nice guy, so here's the cold, hard truth: I have no fucking clue why Akito allowed you to stay in the first place. Yeah, I asked him to let you stay, but I didn't expect that he'd let it go this far. After everything- not caring that you'd discovered our secret, kidnapping your sister- this is way too fishy to ignore. You're so naive, Fujikawa- you can't possibly believe he isn't plotting something."

"No '-chan'?" I whispered.

This seemed to jolt him back to his senses. He let go immediately, backing up a few steps. "Sorry," he mumbled, not unkindly. "But my point still stands. The choice is yours, but...if it were up to me, I'd keep you here on the night of the party. Hatori's not the only one who cares about you, you know?"

I reached tentatively for him, but retracted my hand. "I know I've been selfish, but...I trust Akito." It sounded ridiculous, but it had to be said. "This isn't something I can just let go."

"If that's what you decide, I can't stop you," he conceded wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose.

I nodded in return, staring pointedly at his floor. "Thanks for the advice," I said quietly, taking measured steps backwards until I was leaning up against the door. Pushing it open, I ran out and back into the safety of my room, where I slumped onto my bed, exhausted.

The insanity never seemed to end.


	20. Festivities

Sukochi's POV

The attendant, her mousy brown hair streaked with gray, ran her fingers through my hair, gently inserting an ornate butterfly hairpin into my bun. She proceeded to pull out a measuring tape and wound it around my neck, mumbling the numbers under her breath and continuing to measure my arms, my waist. "I'll make adjustments to your kimono accordingly," she murmured, tracing patterns on the golden fabric.

I nodded just as someone knocked on the door. She glanced at me, and I shrugged. "Sure."

"Come in," she called out.

In came Hatori, immaculate in a button-down shirt and slacks as always.

"You do know," I said icily, "it's bad luck to see a bride's dress before the wedding."

"So we're getting married?" He cocked his head to the side, annoyingly patronizing. "Is that honestly your excuse for ignoring me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't push it, Sohma." After engaging in a heated staring contest with him, I finally caved in. "Alright, alright, if you insist. Wait for me in my room- we can talk when we finish up here. Sound okay to you?"

He smiled- the rare sort of smile that reached his eyes. "I'd be honored."

 

Hatori was sitting cautiously on the edge of my bed when I came in, combing out the remains of the infuriating hairspray. "Hey," I greeted awkwardly, sitting beside him.

"Hello." He paused. "So, is that what you're wearing to the party?"

"Yeah, more or less. What do you think?"

He nodded gravely. "It's lovely. Golden dragons, huh?"

"I thought it was rather fitting," I said stiffly. "But yes. Akito's staff is really talented."

Cue the awkward pause.

"You're still going to the party, then?"

"Well yeah," I said coldly, "I wouldn't have sat through that brutal measuring session if I wasn't, right? And please- don't try to change my mind. I'm going, and that's final."

"I understand that," he replied quietly. "I was just wondering if you were still interested in going as my date."

I gaped at him. "You didn't think that I- no, no, that's not it at all/ I wasn't trying to shut you out, it's just I was really overwhelmed and exploded at you and...I'm really sorry. None of it's your fault, I'm just super emotional and really hard to deal with. But yes, totally. I would love to go with you."

"Good." He made a sudden motion to grab my hand. "I respect your decision, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm paranoid. So, Fujikawa, promise me one thing- you won't leave my sight the entire party."

I was startled by his urgency. "Hatori, you-"

" _Promise me_." His grip tightened.

"I promise," I said reluctantly, gently prying my fingers out of his. Cupping his cheeks, I gave him a tentative peck on the lips, much to his surprise. "Hey," I said breathlessly, "possessiveness can be sexy sometimes."

The astonishment melted off his face. "I should try it more often, then."

 

Hatori gave me a kiss on the cheek when I stepped out to meet him in front of the house, treading carefully as not to step on my kimono. "Careful," I warned him, "or you might smudge my make-up."

"We don't want that, do we?" he agreed, pressing another one to my forehead. "No make-up there, right?"

I smiled mysteriously. "You'd be surprised."

Ayame gagged. "I may have just thrown up in my mouth."

I nudged him playfully in the ribs. "You know you love it."

Shigure came down the hallway, wearing a midnight blue kimono patterned with flowers. "Fujikawa-chan, you look absolutely dazzling!" He leapt gracefully off the last two steps, grabbing my hands and kissing me on both cheeks. "The traditional look suits you to a tee, darling."

Something about his smile was artificial- even after my pact with Hatori, he was still worried about me?

"With an outfit like that, it's a pity you're not allowed to perform for us," he continued to chatter as we left the house, following the trail of paper lanterns to the celebration hall.

I frowned. "Perform?"

Ayame jumped in. "Every year, one of us performs a special dance."

"Oh, really?" I didn't miss the implication of the word "us." "Who is it this year, then?"

Shigure pondered this for a moment. "Well, Ayame did a splendid rain dance just last year, so that would mean...Rin. Yes, it's Rin's turn." He grinned coyly after exchanging a meaningful look with Ayame.

Last year was Ayame, so this Rin girl must have been...what was it, again? The horse?

"That reminds me, you haven't seen her in a while," Hatori remarked.

"Is there something I'm missing here?" I asked, baffled.

Ayame smirked at Shigure. "Let's just say that 'Gure here is...sweet on her."

"Hey!" he protested. "So not true!"

I mock-gasped in horror. "Shigure, are you having illicit sexual relations with a  _child?_ "

"Fujikawa-chan!" he whined, swatting at my shoulder. "I thought you were on  _my_ side."

Hatori could barely suppress a smile. "That's enough, you two," he chided. "But yes, I can't deny that Shigure is, as Ayame put it so aptly, 'sweet on her'."

Shigure rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, you guys are such drama queens. I was her  _babysitter_."

"Isn't that what they all say?" I asked wryly, met with a groan from Shigure.

Our casual banter seemed to whittle the time away at an alarming rate, before I knew it, we stood before a looming, temple-like building with intricately-carved pillars, two kimono-clad women bowing to us at its grand entrance. "Welcome," they murmured. "Akito-sama is waiting."

I inclined my head towards them, before continuing uneasily, intimidated by the sheer grandeur of it all. The fanciest New Year's party I ever had the honor intending was one of my father's gambling parties, with its sake and casual games of Shogi and a vast array of party poppers. No sooner did this come to mind when I shoved the thought away immediately. Even though I had pretended to put my precarious situation with my father behind, thinking about him still made me feel queasy- especially since I still felt him lurking around.

Akito stood in the courtyard, oversized kimono draping over his scrawny arms looking remarkably gaunt as always. "Good evening," he rasped, smile almost gloating, before nodding to me. "I hope you find the festivities to your liking, Fujikawa-san."

"I'm sure I will," I just barely managed to choke out, throat suddenly going

His Chesire cat grin only seemed to widen. "Excellent." He gestured to a door to his left. "This way, please. The others are already gathered inside."

Hatori, sensing my anxiety, grabbed my hand, tracing circles in my palm. I shot him a grateful smile, allowing him to lead me to the door, Shigure and Ayame in tow. Pushing open the door with shaky fingers, I gaped at the sight of the room.

A circular table covered in a satiny table-cloth sat in the middle, an enormous pyramid of tangerines stacked in the middle. Long buffet tables laden with osechi-ryori boxes of epic proportions were pushed off to the side, their fragrance wafting over to me and sending an involuntary rumble thundering through my stomach. The zodiac members were grouped in one section of the room- some of which I hadn't even met- greeting one another convivially.

"Onee-san!"

Kyo all but tackled me, latching onto my legs.

"Oh, hey," I said, letting go of Hatori to bend down and plant a kiss on top of his head. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Uh-huh." He bobbed his head up and down. "You hardly ever see me anymore."

"Sorry, little guy. Things have been...busy to say the least." I glanced at Hatori. "Anyways, why don't you introduce me to your family?"

Pudgy hand grabbing onto mine, Kyo dragged me to where the rest of the zodiacs stood. The majority of them being young children, all the could do was gape at me when he introduced them, only the particularly brazen reaching forward to grasp my hands. One of the older ones, Ritsu, a thirteen-year-old boy with long auburn hair barely managed to glance at me, only murmuring an apology under his breath.

Kureno lounged against the wall, casually handsome as always. He flicked his eyebrows in my direction, shaking my hand and murmuring his customary "pleasure to meet you".

Upon meeting the gathered zodiacs, I frowned. Seven, eight, nine...shouldn't there have been thirteen of them?

"Hiro and Kisa would have come," Kyo explained to me. "But they're  _sleeping_."

"Really now?" I humored him. Okay, that was two people accounted for.

A stout boy with two-toned hair named Haru rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah. They're just little kids."

"Don't mind Haru," Kyo whispered not-so-discreetly. "He's just mad because Rin isn't here yet."

"So not true," he grumbled, flushing a vivid scarlet. "I'm tired, that's all."

The ginger shot me the classic 'I-told-you-so' look.

"Rin? She's the one dancing tonight, right?" I asked.

"Uh-huh." He nodded, before saying enviously, "But she'd only let Haru see her practice. See what I mean?"

I smiled discreetly upon listening to his aimless protests, covering my mouth with the sleeve of my kimono. Young love was just too cute. "But still...there's still one person missing."

Kyo's gloating smile was instantly replaced by a scowl. "That stupid rat  _Yuki_."

"Yes," Ayame said gravely, going pale. "My brother."

"You have a brother?!" I spluttered. "Since when?"

Akito chose that very moment to ghost into the room. "Yuki-kun was misbehaving, so sadly, he will not be attending tonight." Ayame winced, but fought it down with a thin-lipped smile as he, with the rest of the zodiacs, knelt down before their family head.

Hatori tugged me down with him when I didn't immediately do the same, still in shock. Brother? Why hadn't Ayame ever mentioned that to me?

Akito, dwarfed by the height of the ceilings and the splendor of his surroundings, waved a dismissive hand. "You may rise. But before we take a seat and watch Rin's performance, I believe that there is something we must address." He clapped his hands, and in came two attendants, toting trays of steaming tea. Eyes locked on the thick carpet, they hastily passed out the cups to the bewildered Sohmas, before rushing back outside.

Akito's eyes locked on mine, and he smiled grimly. "I apologize for being so informal about this, but it is plain to see whom tonight's festivities are dedicated to. And that, as I'm sure you all know, is our own beloved Sukochi Fujikawa."

I was so taken aback by his gesture that I nearly spilled my tea, steadying myself in the nick of time.

He raised his cup. "And so, tonight, we congratulate Fujikawa-san and our very own Hatori as they join hands as lovers, and welcome her into the family with open arms." Following Akito's example, we all downed rose our cups in a toast, sipping the tea.

"Join hands as lovers?" Kyo hissed, tugging at my kimono. "What does he mean, Sukochi-nee?"

Tongue seemingly glued to the roof of my mouth, I couldn't even find the words to answer him.

"Don't be shy, Fujikawa-san," Akito encouraged. "Go on, give your lovely little boyfriend a smooch."

Hatori, blank-faced, leaned over to give me a quick peck on the lips. "We'll talk later," he murmured.

But later would never be good enough. I had come to this party, fully prepared to defend my position as his girlfriend, that yes, I belonged here too, and all of the work had been done for me? This really was fishy. What if I should have been worried, just like Hatori warned me? The inexplicable absence of Ayame's brother had me on guard, too.

All that being said, what I didn't like the most was that sneaky smile on Akito's face; it made my insides squirm and face go hot.

The family head led yet another round of applause, before inviting us to take our seats. I did just that, sitting wedged between Ayame and Hatori. Upon easing myself into the matchbox chairs, I felt underneath the tablecloth for Hatori's hand, interlacing his cold fingers with my clammy ones.

What was wrong with me? Akito basically just put the elephant in the room behind us (and in quite an eloquent manner, too), and I was freaking out about it? But no matter what I said, attempting to calm myself down just left a worse taste in my mouth.

Being me, I tried to distract myself by concentrating on what was in front of me. An attendant knelt down on a small mat, polishing his hotchiku with a yellow rag. Once he was ready, he nodded to his left, and a young girl with flowing black hair slinked into the room with a sort of feline grace, wearing a plum-colored kimono with a snow-white obi.

The attendant began to play, his trembling music filling the room.

A strange sort of intensity in her eyes, Rin Sohma lunged into sinuous motion, whipping the fan back and forth in time to the music, the sleeves of her outfit swishing back and forth with every twirl. Two spellbinding minutes later, the attendant's song ending with a little trill, she stopped, pressing her hands together and bowing to Akito sitting at the head of the table. Coolly brushing away the loose tendrils of hair clinging to her forehead, she took her seat besides Haru. He grinned, leaning over to whisper something in her ear that made her blush.

Akito gestured to a group of attendants. They nodded, hastily grabbing the osechi-ryori trays and placing one in front of each person. My stomach grumbled once more at the pristine selection of fish cakes, sea weed, black soy beans, skewered prawns, miso soup, and datemaki, all sparkling with a sheen of oil. Famished as I was, thinking about eating such a perfectly prepared meal made me feel guilty.

Nevertheless, hunger won over, and I eagerly picked up my chopsticks and plopped a dried sardine into my mouth. "Mmm," I couldn't help but moan at the taste- plenty salty but not  _too_ salty, just like my mother's.

Wait, was I really getting  _nostalgic_? I was much too young to reminisce about my childhood.

"Good?" Hatori asked, barely concealing his smile.

"Amazing," I confirmed, energetically digging in.

But, unlike usual, food didn't prove to be a reliable distraction. Even while chatting amiably with Ayame, I couldn't help but glance over to where Akito sat, food practically untouched as he watched me intently.

"Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

This jarred me back to reality. "Nope, not at all," I said cheerfully, shaking my head. "What were you saying again?"

"I wanted to know what you thought of Rin-chan's performance," Ayame said, twirling a strand of silver hair between his fingertips, a bit antsy.

"Oh, it was amazing!" I replied, relieved by the abrupt change of subject. "Her kimono, especially."

"You think so?" He perked up, a look of utter bliss on his face. "Thank goodness."

Ah. So that's what it was.

"Don't tell me  _you_  designed it." I gaped at him once he nodded, in awe. "Really...wow, that's amazing."

"It is," he said happily. "I designed mine for my dance last year, and since then, Akito-sama asked me to make the dance costumes from now on.. It's a symbol of devotion, after all."

I frowned. "What is?"

"The dance, of course. An offering to our god, so to speak. You'd be surprised, but it's actually really a big deal. I can't imagine how much little Rin must have prepared just for today- I must have spent hours upon hours just rehearsing."

I stared at the girl as she methodically nibbled at a fishcake, Haru yapping her ear off. No wonder everything had been executed so flawlessly.

Once everyone had finished their meals, the attendants beckoned for them to play a round of games. They all, save for the lethargic Rin, complied, letting out a cheer as they rushed forward. I watched them trip over their feet in a game of tag, noticing how they all, minus Haru, seemed to always gang up on Kyo and leave him in the dust. It was morbidly fascinating, in that I was seeing just how isolated he was, even among those just as cursed as he was.

I felt a twinge of guilt, but quashed it. If I could just figure out how to break the curse, I could free him from all of that.

Rin was sitting in the corner, moodily drinking tea alone. I cautiously slid out of my chair. "Be back in a sec," I told Hatori, maneuvering around the table to stand in front of her. "Hey," I greeted awkwardly.

She barely spared me a glance, gnawing on a pale pink daifuku. "Is there something you want?"

Taken aback by her iciness, all I could do was force out a laugh. "Not really. Just wanted to congratulate you on your performance. You were really incredible."

Rin lowered her plate, setting her gaze on me. "So, you're that girl," she noted, "the one every keeps going on about. You know about us, and you're dating Hatori, correct?"

Uncomfortable under her beady-eyed scrutiny, I fidgeted. "Last time I checked, yeah."

But she only ignored me. "Honestly, I can't fathom what that oaf sees in you. Your looks aren't anything special, and you just don't seem articulate enough to the win the affection of someone of his caliber. So tell me, Fujikawa- _chan_...how did you do it?"

Mouth dry and utterly unable to muster anything snappy to say to that, I was saved by the presence of a hand on my shoulder. "Now, Rin, don't be rude," Hatori chided.

Rin was obviously taken aback, but only let out a huff. "Didn't expect  _you_  to show up," she said loftily, "but my point still stands. I can't comprehend why this girl was worth all the trouble. Not to mention she was actually invited  _here_ \- really, what happened to the no outsiders policy? Did we honestly bend the tradition for _her_?"

My cheeks heated up. That word again.  _Outsider, outsider, outsider._

Who was I kidding? Even if Akito pretended to welcome me into the family, that was all I would ever be to them.

"Excuse me," I said quietly, turning around so that I faced away from both of them.

Hatori grabbed my hand. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm sorry, but I...I just need some fresh air." I shoved him off of me. "Just for a minute." As I stormed away, careful not to trip on the hem of my kimono, I almost wanted him to stop me, to say that she didn't mean a thing.

But, of course, he didn't.

"See what I mean?" I vaguely heard Rin ask before I rounded out the room and into the courtyard.

Although it was still winter, the air was pleasantly cool, a light breeze dusting my cheeks. Finally alone, I let out a sigh, tilting my head up to gaze at the yellowish crescent moon. At last, a quiet place where I could think, remember Akito and Rin's calculating gazes, icy and judgmental and invasive and-

Someone (a man, from the shape of his body pressed to my back) clamped a thick cloth over my mouth, his hot breath fanning across my shoulder. "Don't move," he said gruffly.

I let out a squeak, thrashing in protest as I scratched at his hand, but something in that cloth had fogged my brain up, rendering me numb. Barely having the strength to rip the man's hand off my mouth, I shuddered as it spread throughout my body, feeling utterly helpless as I lost all sensation in my toes, then my legs, then my torso, and then-

Everything vanished.

_Hatori._


	21. Tragedies

Sukochi's POV

When I woke up, there was a thick pounding sensation ringing through my head, my mind foggy and faintly woozy. I was slumped against a wall, my kimono in tatters, trapped in a dank room without a single source of light. Staggering to a kneeling position, I felt around the rough walls, croaking, "Hello? Is anyone here?"

"Hey," a voice said weakly from the other side, barely audible.

Even though I had been half-heartedly hoping for a response, it still shocked me. I keeled over, bracing myself against the wall and pressing my cheek to the thin wood. "Um...hi."

"You're Sukochi Fujikawa, aren't you?" I was certain that the voice was a boy, and a timid one at that, but if I had met him before, I couldn't put a face to his hushed whispers.

"Yeah, I am," I replied. "And who would you be?"

"Yuki. Yuki Sohma."

Yuki? Ayame's brother? The one who had been "missing?"

"Nice to meet you, Yuki-kun," I said as calmly as I could. "So what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the party?"

"They put me in here," he said glumly. "I heard them talking about their plans for you, so they caught me and locked me up here for the party."

"'They?'" I prodded. "Plans for me?"

There was a moment of silence. "I'm sorry, Fujikawa-san."

"Sukochi will do," I assured him, but my suspicions had not been quenched. "Yuki-kun, I don't want to be rough with you, but I have to know. What am I doing here? What do they want from me?"

"I-" He stopped himself, gasping. "They're here!"

Baffled by his exclamation, I didn't realize what he was talking about until I heard the patter of footsteps drawing nearer. Flinging myself to the ground, I curled myself up into a ball, waiting with bated breath as the echoes grew louder and louder.

The door opened. "Looks like she's still asleep," the man from earlier remarked. "Shall we report this to Akito-sama?"

"That won't be necessary," a woman, whose voice sounded oddly familiar, countered. "We'll get the job done, and that's that. No more, no less."

"As pragmatic as ever, Nakahara-san," he drawled, faintly amused.

Wait…Nakahara-san? The attendant who had taken measurements for my dress?

If it hadn't seemed like a conspiracy before, it totally was now. Not to mention what Yuki had said before- the reasoning behind his mysterious absence at the celebration, and their plans for me.

A quiet scuffle sounded from the other room.

"Huh," Nakahara huffed. "Seems like we have a mouse to deal with."

The man grunted in response, and the two left, locking the door behind them. Letting out the breath I didn't know I was holding, I tensed once more when I heard muffled voices from the other room, a resounding thud, and a shrill scream. A few stern mumbles and heavy footfalls later, all was still.

When I was convinced that the coast was clear, I sat up. "Yuki-kun? Are you alright?"

"Yes," he croaked, sniffling quietly. "I'm okay."

I felt a pang of guilt in my stomach. While I had been living in comfort, sheltered by Shigure, Ayame, and Hatori, Yuki, who I previously didn't even know existed, was being tortured here. From what I'd heard from Hatori, it was clear that there were some shady things going on behind closed doors. But I'd always been a bystander- Rin spelled it out for me today, if it hadn't already been obvious- one that sat on the sidelines. I expressed my sympathy, of course, but did I really care?

"So, no way of getting out, huh?" I said, feigning nonchalance. "You're the experienced one here."

"I usually just wait until someone comes to let me out," Yuki said meekly.

"And how long does that usually take?"

"Depends. Anywhere from a few hours to a few days."

I groaned. A few days? What would Hatori do if I were locked up for that long? "Is there any way I can get a message to the outside?"

"You'd get caught if you tried," he protested.

"Does that come from personal experience?"

I could practically hear Yuki flinch. "Yeah."

"Haven't you ever thought of asking your brother for help, though? That's what siblings are for, you know," I said, thinking of Kiyomi. I'd never been able to rely on her, and vice versa- but was me making that contract enough to show that I cared? What if I never got out of here? Would she go on, always believing that I hated her?

"He would never do anything for me," he replied, voice brimming with a sort of quiet anger that reminded me of Hatori. "I begged for him to help me the first time it happened, but all he did was turn and walk away. I've never meant anything to him."

I thought of how sad Ayame was, behind all of that frivolous talk about dresses and make-up. "I think I konw your brother pretty well, considering how long we've lived in the same house. And I can honestly say that he regrets it."

"What makes you say that?" Yuki said bitterly, but I could tell that his interest was piqued.

"We all make mistakes," I said. "Some of us more than others. And Ayame...well, he happens to be no exception. We've gotten into fights over the silliest things, but he always apologized immediately after. He walked away from you because he was scared, Yuki-kun, and I'm sure he'd do anything to change that fact"

Yuki seemed to mull this over. "Then why hasn't he apologized?"

"Well, it's been a long time, right?" I mused. "Sometimes, feelings keep piling up into they're ready to explode, or someone stows them away, not sure how to show them. I think that's what Ayame's dealing with- he wants desperately to tell you that he cares, but so much has happened that he doesn't know how to do it. Waiting for you to give him a chance."

He was silent for a moment. "You're really perceptive, Fujikawa-san."

"And you're annoyingly smart for a nine-year-old," I huffed. "Seriously, all of you Sohmas are so crazy talented that it's-" The acrid smell of smoke suddenly filled my nose, sending horror twisting low in the pit of my stomach. "Wait, what's that?"

"Oh, no," Yuki breathed. "No, no, no."

"Yuki!" I hissed, clawing at the wall. "Did you hear about this?"

"All I heard was that they were planning to lock you up. They caught me before I could hear the next step of the plan," he said, sounding panicked. "What are we gonna do now? I have asthma, and I-"

"We'll find a way of getting out of here. I promise you," I said firmly. "There's no way I'm gonna let this end here."

"And how do you intend to do that?" Yuki asked, obviously skeptical.

"I'll...I'll-" I faltered. "You know, kid, I really hate you sometimes."

He heaved a sigh. "Just being pragmatic. There's no need to make promises you won't keep."

God, that was so depressing.

"Well, what do you expect me to do? Let us burn to death?" I demanded, forcing myself to calm down when I heard the sharp intake of breath from the other side of the wall. "Okay, okay, that was uncalled for. But seriously- we can't just sit here and pray for a miracle."

"That's what I usually do," Yuki said, instantly shutting me up. "Akito-sama must have some sort of plan- that's the sort of person he is. I'm replaceable, but you- it'd be difficult for him to find another person who will accept the curse as readily as you did."

I willed myself to relax, despite the increasing amounts of smoke that drifted in through the cracks in the wood. The odor seemed to grow more pungent with every breath I took, our time steadily ticking away. "Don't talk about yourself like that. As unlikely as it seems, plenty of people care about you. I...used to think the same thing as you do. My brother had passed away, my parents were fighting, and I felt like I was alone in the world. The feeling only got worse after my mother remarried and I got two new siblings and a stepdad I didn't particularly like. I spent five years feeling like unwanted emotional baggage before I met your cousins. Even though it took a while, I finally found a place where I belonged. As bad as it seems right now, things do get better."

"You're not like us, Fujikawa-san," Yuki said glumly. "I know you don't want to be treated like an outsider, but that's just the way it is. Yes, things got better for you, but who knows if it'll be the same for me? It's been this way for my entire life, after all." He was suddenly wracked by a hacking cough, reduced to nothing but wheezes and hoarse whispers.

"Don't talk. You have to conserve your energy," I ordered, pleased when he fell silent.

And, to ease my panic, I told him stories. Ideas, hypotheses, passing thoughts that I forgot faster than I could remember them. I told him that time where Hatori and I went shopping for Wagyu beef and we got caught in the rain and I forced him to buy me ramen. Our summer vacation where I sprained my ankle and thought I was going to die. The tale of cultural festival and how I was forced to be a model, leaving out the Kureno fiasco. Our first kiss and just how much I lovedhim.

I stopped after I said this. That had been the first time I'd ever said anything about loving Hatori, and to a nine-year-old, no less. What if I never got to tell him that?

 _Stop that, Sukochi_ , I reprimanded myself.  _Think happy thoughts._

About twenty minutes later, the first tongues of flame began licking at our doors. It crackled, peeling away at the wood. A beam from the ceiling came crashing down, very nearly hitting me. I shrieked, fighting the urge to hyperventilate. The flaming piece of wood was dangerously close to my ankle, confining me to just a quarter of the room.

"What happened?" Yuki croaked between coughs. "Fujikawa-san, are you alright?"

I smiled feebly. "Just a scare. I'm okay, though. I'm okay."

Then, I did something I thought I would never do again.

I sang. Low and hoarse, off-key and about as arrhythmic as you can imagine. It was a sweet lullaby, one that Daichi had sung to me whenever I couldn't sleep. Melancholy and gentle. I closed my eyes as I sang, and for that one undefinable moment in time, I was oblivious to the world around me. I could picture Hatori and Shigure and Ayame and me standing in garden somewhere peaceful, with flowers and a bridge and a pond full of koi. They were laughing, and I was laughing, and I told them just how much I cared. Just how much I loved them.

Suddenly, the door splintered into a thousand shards, a silhouette of a man standing before me, his face unrecognizable in the haze.

"Are you here to kill me?" I said faintly.

He shook his head very slowly, before making a jerky motion towards me.

"No," I said suddenly, mustering every last bit of my strength. "Please, mister, him first. He has a asthma. You have to get him out of here. Please." I was on the verge of tears, and I knew how pathetic I must have looked then, grimy and battered and broken.

The man hesitated, before leaving the room. I heard him break Yuki's door, mutter a few brief words to the boy. Yuki started shrieking. "No! Take her instead! Don't leave her behind!"

"Take care of hi!" I rasped, smiling gratefully as I heard his footsteps echo down the hallway. "Goodbye, Yuki."

As I watched the flames climb higher and higher, looming nearer and nearer, I curled myself into a ball and buried my face into my knees. The smoke was nearly suffocating, the tongues of orange and blue flame terrifying yet beautiful at the same time. They demolished everything in their path, and before long, I knew that I'd be next. A pillar of ash and a scrap of cloth.

It was almost laughable. Everything I had done, everything I had lived for.

Burnt to a crisp.

But the man returned. Maneuvering around the beam, he picked up my shivering body and cradled me to his chest. He was warm and smelled like something familiar- cheap cologne and sweat, maybe. "Thank you," I murmured, barely able to open my eyes. "Thank you."

He muttered something I could not pick up in response. I saw the building collapse before my eyes as it was swallowed by the fire, more beams toppling and blocking exists, until there was a single path that led to the courtyard. Seeming to steel himself, he broke into a sprint, dodging collapsing door and furniture until we had almost, almost,  _almost_ reached the door until-

The entrance crashed to the ground in a column of white-hot flame with an ear-splitting thud. "I love you," I heard the man whisper, and the next thing I knew, I had been flung from his warm embrace and onto the dewy grass. The impact was heavy, sending me reeling and leaving a sharp pain in my chest.

I only looked up at the last second, but I saw enough. The foundation of the building fell in that blinding instant, burying the man underneath the rubble.

 _I love you,_  he had said. His voice rang in my ears, the voice of a man I had known so long ago.

 _Dad_.

My father. Gone.

I let out a piercing scream, the sort that rattled even my bones, burying my face with my hands. I collapsed to the ground, breathing in the smell of the wet earth.

The last thing I knew was a warm hand encasing mine, and a pair of olive green eyes.

"Hatori," I mumbled, squeezing his fingers.

_I love you._


	22. Chapter 24- Farewells

Hatori's POV

"Have you seen Fujikawa-chan?" Shigure approached me, wearing his usual amicable smile. "I haven't seen for at least an hour."

"She hasn't come back yet?" I frowned, resisting the urge to panic. "She went out for some fresh air a little while ago. Hasn't she gone back now?"

"What do you mean 'she went out for some fresh air?'" he growled, a dark look passing in front of his face. "Ha'ri, you promised you wouldn't let her out of your sight!"

"Rin-san said some hurtful things to her, and she seemed upset, so I gave her some space. Is that so wrong?" I raised an eyebrow at Shigure, causing him to shrink.

"Okay, okay, you have a point," he conceded wearily. "But if she isn't outside 'getting some fresh air,' where is she?"

"You aren't suggesting that…" I trailed off when he nodded, a fresh wave of horror swamping me.

I had grown complacent, convinced that Akito lifting up her tea cup and toasting her was proof that she had accepted Sukochi into the family, that she had accepted her presence. That she was willing to let us go.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"We have to go," I said abruptly, grabbing Shigure's arm and dragging him to the door. Before we could step out into the cool, crisp night, however, a blur of motion crashed into me, sending us staggering backwards.

"Yuki?" Shigure said incredulously, before narrowing his eyes, ushering him outside. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"It's Fujikawa-san!" he wheezed, a dazed look in his eyes. If possible, he looked even frailer than usual, his entire body wracked with shivers and smothered in soot. "She's...she's in there-"

"In where?" I demanded, kneeling down and looking him in the eye. "Yuki, you have to tell me."

Yuki's eyes brimmed with tears. "There was a fire, and we were inside, and a man came to save me and left her behind- you have to help her! She's still inside, and she'll die if she's in there any longer-"

Oblivious to everything but the pounding in my ears, I slung him over my shoulder, dashing out of the main courtyard and peering around. The night seemed so quiet, so peaceful. "Tell me where to go." Following his directions, Shigure hot in my heels, I inhaled what had been once clean air- only then did I get a whiff of the stench of smoke.

Of course, fire. Akito had always had a flair for the theatrical. She wouldn't destroy the world by flood, but with fire and brimstone, sending Fujikawa crashing down with it.

My pace quickened when I saw her crumpled body lying in the middle of the dewy lawn, trembling between the blades of grass. The building behind her was reduced to a column of ash and sooty wood, the atmosphere quiet, save for her shaking sobs and the dull lull of music from the party.

"Goddamn," Shigure murmured, barely audible.

Still numb, I crawled forward, threading my hand through hers. She turned to her side and stared at me with those wide, unblinking eyes. Like a deer caught in headlights, filled with so much pain and regret and a sort of broken agony that ran much deeper than the scrapes on her arms.

"Hatori," she breathed, squeezing my hand.

"I'm right here," I said softly, but she was already unconscious. Hands trembling, I pressed an achingly gentle kiss to her lips, desperately holding back tears. I turned back to Shigure. "Call an ambulance."

It was over.

 

I shoved aside the beaded curtain, not even bothering to kneel down. "It was you, wasn't it?"It was shocking, how calm and steely I sounded.

Akito turned around with the gradual deliberateness of a sloth. "Tsk, tsk," she tutted lightly. "Where are your manners, Hatori?"

I gritted my teeth. "I request an audience, Akito-sama."

She smiled, eyes gleaming in the half-light. "Very well. Why don't you have a seat? We have all the time in the world, after all."

My girlfriend was teetering on the edge of death, and she wanted me to sit down?

Nevertheless, I sat down on a bamboo mat right before her, averting my eyes. It was like she expected me all along- never a good sign.

Akito cupped my chin in one hand, pressing gentle circles on my cheek with her tiny thumb, while the other busied itself with sweeping through my hair. Her breath ghosted across my skin, sending shivers up and down my spine.

My only vice, Akito Sohma.

"You love her, don't you, Hatori?" Akito said, in that gentle, keening voice we had all come to fear. Nothing pleasant had ever come out of listening to it. "But you know, no human can truly love a curse. This was destined to happen- your love was determined to be no more but a bitter tragedy since the start."

Sensing my uncertainty, Akito's lips curled into a smirk. "And, as for what's happened to your darling Sukochi? You're no fool, Hatori. You know as well as I that there's no one to blame but yourself. You let her live with you. You kissed her before she could even sort out her feelings." Her gaze sharpened as she pinched my cheek, leaving a stinging pain behind. "You did this to her, and now she's nothing but a broken little mess."

I had made the first move. I had allowed her to go to the party. Yes, I was partly to blame. Akito and her twisted schemes, too.

But in the end, it was only the curse.

Akito lowered her voice, trembling fingers leaving my face. "You do know, another body was found in the fire."

"What?" was all I could manage, hoarse.

"The body of Fujikawa Katashi."

Fujikawa Katashi? Sukochi's father?

Only then did it dawn on me. "You...you set the house on fire, didn't you?"

Her laugh was blood-curdling- the sort that left you inexplicably chilled to the bone.

"Why?" I rasped.

"Isn't it obvious, Hatori? We were not meant to coexist with people," she said dryly, and let out a theatrical sigh. "It's a lonely existence, you know, just you and me and the rest of the damned. Humans are so fragile, so cowardly...the lesson had to be learnt.

"Because, you see, Hatori, the only one you can really love...is me."

The glee dissipated from her face. "But if you think you love her, Hatori. If you truly, truly love her...won't you let her go? Caress her forehead and wipe the pain you forced onto her away? Because of you, her father is dead. Because of you, she's nothing but a shell of who she used to be.

"It's so, so simple, Hatori. The choice is obvious- no, there hardly is a choice. Our poor, sweet Sukochi, shocked into submission and traumatized by the horrors of imprisonment. No wonder the memory of you has melted away, hm? Our story is impenetrable.

"How about it, Hatori? Will you sacrifice your petty love to save her?"

I had been selfish to think this could end any other way, to think our one chance, what Shigure had staked inviting an outsider into our home, could be anything but this- a throwaway scheme to tighten the curse's grip.

But we had been close. So, so close.

Yes, I had dreaded this day.

 

She lay in the hospital bed, hooked up to a machine that rumbled like a sleeping dragon. In and out, her chest seemed to whisper as it heaved up and down, clothed in a blue cotton hospital gown. Her jaw was slack, the curve of it gentle and relaxed.

Sleeping. The girl, once alive and kicking and screaming at the unfairness of the world. Sleeping.

"I don't regret meeting you," I told her. "And I promise you, nothing is your fault."

There was so much to say, so much my pride and clumsy words couldn't possibly manage. But it was time.

I pressed a lingering kiss to her temple, trembling fingers gently pressing her forehead. "Take care, Fujikawa."

And there, in the stone-cold fragility of it all, the memories vanished, in thin wisps. Sleeping on the park bench and shopping for wagyu beef and all of those fights and our first kiss and everything after that.

Her silky kimono. The rising flames. The heartbreak.

All gone.

 

After three weeks of extensive hospital-care, Fujikawa Sukochi gradually returned to us. Timid and frail, she appeared at the estate with her mother, spindly strands of hair dotting her head. Bleary-eyed, twitchy, and clearly terrified, she stood before me, fumbling with monosyllabic words. Reiko's gaze softened, and she placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "We're here to collect her things," she said gently.

I nodded, breath hitching in my throat as I wordlessly led her to the house where all the memories had been lived and tossed away.

As the three of us had done our best to avoid talking about her, touching her things had been completely out of the question. And so, as I opened the door to the guest bedroom, everything was as it had been the last day I had truly known Fujikawa Sukochi- the musty scent vaguely floral, clothes strewn across the floor, bedsheets rumpled.

As Reiko began to pile together her dog-eared textbooks, something seemed to catch Sukochi's tired eyes. The photobooth picture; a column of hazy images, the four of us jammed into the booth on a sweltering summer day and making various fumbling gestures at the camera, tucked into the corner of her dresser mirror.

What was she thinking? Feeling, even?

She would forever be my mystery.

Her mother folded a pair of pajama pants, lovingly smoothing out the creases in the plaid fabric. She frowned at her daughter. "Sukochi, why don't you-" Reiko faltered when she realized what her daughter was looking at,

"Should I...?" Fujikawa asked, reaching for the picture and glancing at me.

I shrugged, swallowing the lump in my throat. "It's up to you."

"Better not, dear," Reiko said softly. "Why don't you clean out your closet?"

I stood there for the better part of a half-hour, watching as they swept, gathered, folded, and packed until the room was stripped bare. No more brushing noses under the covers, no more sitting on the edge of the bed and arguing over petty, petty things.

Reiko stared me down. Expecting a threat of some sort, I couldn't have been more surprised when she bowed in my direction. "Thank you for taking such good care of her, Hatori-kun. We really appreciate it."

"It was nothing," I managed.

Sukochi feebly held out a hand to me. "Thank you, Sohma-san," she muttered, gaze flitting back to the picture.

There was a pang of guilt in my stomach. I fought it down, giving her a thin-lipped smile and taking her hand. "It was our pleasure, Fujikawa."

 

She returned to class the next day, her arrival as unprecedented and spontaneous as she had been. Minami-sensei had barely begun her morning lecture when Sukochi knocked timidly on the door, shrinking when everyone's attention zeroed in on her.

Shigure shot me a meaningful look, and I nodded, failing miserably to keep my eyes off what had become of Fujikawa Sukochi. The way she trembled, how she gazed forlornly at the floor...it was nothing like how alive she used to be.

There was silence.

Suddenly, Nakashima leapt to her feet, knees quaking, and swept her up in a tight embrace, burying her face into Sukochi's shoulder with a sob.

Sukochi tensed. "Are you...okay?" she asked tentatively.

Nakashima sniffled, shaking her head. "I'm the one who should be saying that, dummy."

She extricated herself from Nakashima's embrace, bowing stiffly to the class. "Good morning. I know you're all in my class, but I don't remember much from this school year. I'll do my best to get to know you all, but-"

Minami-sensei placed a silencing hand on her shoulder. "Let's all welcome Fujikawa to our class." We all clapped politely as she made her way to the back of a room, where a seat near the window had been empty for the past three weeks.

As she passed me in the aisle, we locked eyes for a brief moment. Almost immediately, her gaze flitted away, and she continued her steady walk to the desk.

And that's how we ended, suspended in time. No explosions, no flares.

Nothing but me, a broken girl, and a legion of wasted memories.


	23. Epilogue

Hatori's POV

After graduating from Kaibara High, our paths didn't cross until fifteen years later, at our high school reunion. Sipping at lukewarm black coffee and leaning against the refreshment table, I idly listened to a third-year classmate of mine babble on and on about his daughter on the other side of the room.

That was when I noticed her.

Taller and noticeably more commandeering in heels and a gray pantsuit, her hair done in a chignon at the nape of her neck, it took me a moment to recognize Sukochi Fujikawa. But the glint in her eye was unmistakable, undeterred by time.

The girl I had been, and was still, hopelessly in love with. More mature, even more beautiful, and strangely regal in the manner she carried herself- but undoubtedly her.

Time seemed to freeze as she noticed me, a smile easing its way onto her lips. Strides confident and long, she reached me in a matter of moments. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Hatori Sohma!"

I forced a smile, my throat going dry. "Long time no see, Fujikawa."

Tearing open a packet of no-calorie sweetener and dumping liberal amounts of it into her coffee, she grinned at me. "So, what's going on with you?"

"Oh, nothing much," I said curtly. "I have a clinic of my own now, but other than that, nothing's changed. And what of you?"

Lapping at her searing-hot coffee, she waved her free hand airily. "Um, well, I'm a lawyer myself. Five years outta grad school. Becoming a writer just didn't work, so...I thought it was for the best." Perking up, she asked, "Oh, speaking of writing, I heard that weirdo cousin of yours- Shigure, was it?- just got engaged. Give him my regards, will you?"

They weren't the only ones. Tohru and Kyo had married quietly three months ago. Yuki and Machi finally had the sense to move in with one another. Kureno and Arisa. Kazuma and Saki. Haru and Rin. Ayame and Mine. Even little Hiro and Kisa.

Everyone around me awash in a blaze of happiness.

She waggled her eyebrows at me. "And how about you, Ice Queen? Tell Fujikawa here about how love's been treating you."

Despite how much time had passed, the words fell easily from my mouth. Sukochi always had a way of getting me to tell the truth, even now. "I was married," I said quietly, "for a couple of years, actually."

"Oh," was all she said. She hesitated, but her curiosity won out. "What happened?"

"Commitment issues," I replied, feigning nonchalance. "The usual."

It wasn't exactly a lie. Because whenever I looked Mayuki, there was someone else I saw.

And I don't think I'm making any unfair assumptions when I say that no one wants to be second to an enigma.

Sukochi nodded, sympathetic. "Yeah, I know what you mean," she said pensively, stirring her coffee with a spindly red straw. "There was this guy. I met him at a work party, and after that...well, I was pretty much head-over-heels for him." I felt vaguely queasy at the thought. "Um, so yeah. I really thought he was the one. But then, one day he had this crazy epiphany about wanting to go to grad school in Canada, and did I want to go with him, and...I guess I just decided he wasn't worth throwing everything away for? I love my job, love Japan, hell, I even love my stepfamily, if you can believe that. I mean, I felt pretty worthless, too- he didn't even seem to care when we ended it. So in a way, I'm glad it happened.

"Anyways!" she said cheerily. "That reminds me. I heard from Nakashima that we were a pretty good couple back in the day. Something about us being all lovey-dovey?"

"You could say that," I said evenly, after a moment of hesitation.

She laughed. "I've never taken you for the super-romantic type, but yeah. I bet you were a great boyfriend."

"Were", not "are. Has-beens and will-never-bes.

We lapsed into content silence.

Her eyes widened as she glanced idly at her watch. "Shit," she cursed. "I promised Nakashima I'd go out with her once I got back." Looking up, she grinned apologetically. "Sorry to cut our lovely chat so short, but I really do have to go. It was nice seeing you again, Sohma-san."

She was walking away from me again. I thought about the little quirk of her lips, the slight bounce in her step- things that, even sixteen years later, were so very Sukochi. Even though the ways we had changed her had vanished with her memories, somehow we had wound up in the same place once more. Both lonely, both cheated by love. But what if things were different?

If I took her hand, would she follow?

I lunged forward, grabbing her wrist. Unusually brazen, I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of my office's business cards. "Don't be a stranger," I said, stiff in spite of it all. In spite of the crazy words Sukochi always managed to pry from my mouth, and how this time was no different. "Next time you come home, please give me a call. Whenever you want, in fact. I'll always be here."

Waiting for her to remember, no matter how hopeless it was.

She raised a penciled eyebrow, but smiled and accepted it nevertheless, slipping it into her pocket. "I'll have to take you up on that offer. But for now, I gotta skidaddle!" Giving a sharp salute, she laughed, heading towards the door. "See you later, Sohma-san!"

I gave a reluctant smile as I waved good-bye, watching her retreating back. A gesture she'd never see, a lifetime of feelings she'd never truly understand.

But then again, I had always been the fool.


End file.
